The Marauder's Guide: To All Things Good
by baby blue eyes10
Summary: "I do swear that I will serve our fellow Marauders and Marauders of the past in the office of pranking and mayhem, and I will do wrong to all manner of people, especially Slytherin gits, after the laws and usages of this realm, with the use of fear, favor, affection, and illwill. So help me Merlin." Seventh year as told by the characters from the prequel, Can't Touch This.
1. Rule 28: Dropping a Subject

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that J.K. Rowling owns. But I sure wish I did sometimes. Come on, Rowling, share the wealth!

Author's Note: Well, ladies and gents, boys and girls, people of distant lands (and other planets who will be reading this in the past), here is the first chapter of the sequel to Can't Touch This, also known as, The Marauder's Guide: To All Things Good! I'm so happy that you have taken to reading or are just starting to read. This is the first in many chapters to come and we, that being myself and my good friend Amulet Girl 5 who will be writing Lyla's point of view as well as some of the Marauders, are so excited that you are joining us! Please, feel free to stay as long as you like and to leave a review and let us know how we're doing if you have the time. We are so thankful to those who read the first story and really happy for those of you who are sticking around to join us for this story as well. The names of the chapters, to those who may be confused, will also be the rules that are presented in the story and come directly from the Marauders themselves. So, without further ado, we present to you, chapter one!

Xoxo,

Prongslittleflower

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><p><em>Alexa's Point of View<em>

"_Rule 28: The subject of conversation shall be dropped when it is said to be dropped; otherwise the subject of the conversation has all rights to 'drop' the other subjects in the conversation."_

Letting out a breathy sigh, I glanced down at the boy underneath me. His eyes were still closed, his mouth slightly parted, and I felt my heart surge as I held still for a moment more. As his hands fell from my hips, I rolled gently away and fell to his side. Trying to remain completely still, I took deep breaths while my heart raced again. My whole body felt sensitive and my mind was reeling.

The room was silent as we lay side by side in the bed. His heavy breathing had calmed slightly back to a normal pace after a few minutes, and finally my heartbeat had slowed to something that was considered to be normal a moment or two after his. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see his hands run over his face, his eyes closing momentarily. Taking a deep breath, he opened his mouth to speak as I felt his hand move along the bed towards my own. Jumping up quickly and dragging the tangled bed sheet with me, I quickly pulled it over my naked body into some sort of towel-like structure as I began to search for my clothes.

"Well, once again," I made some sort of motion with my hand in an awkward gesture of thanks (why I was thanking him for mind-blowing sex again? Even I didn't know that one) as I gathered my things off the bedroom floor in James' guest bedroom. Pulling the duvet up around his waist, Sirius sat up as I pulled my knickers on and then hastily pulled my jean shorts on. Turning around so I wouldn't have to see his penetrating eyes, I dropped the sheet from my chest as I shrugged my arms into my bra. Then I jumped slightly as his hands replaced my own as he pulled the clasps together for me.

"Alexa, we need to talk about this." He said from behind me. Raking a hand through my longish brunette-again hair that had been messed up by what had just happened and pulling it into a ponytail, I turned to face him. Looking at his bare chest instead of his eyes, I shook my head. "It's just sex, Sirius, not rocket science. I thought that this, being you and all, wouldn't have to be complicated."

I glanced up at him slightly to see him struggling for words and took that moment to look around the room. The bed was just an accusing object for what we had just done, the clothes scattered around the room his, and the blinds drawn shut from the outside world where I knew my friends would be arriving any minute for some of the first wedding preparations.

Moving away from his presence, I picked up my shirt from the ground, pulled it right side out and slipped it on. Then I moved towards the mirror on the wardrobe and made sure I didn't look too flustered anymore. My hair was messy, no longer the straight style that it had been when I'd arrived this morning but no one would notice that if I just ran his brush through my hair quickly, which I then did after taking the high pony tail out and pulling it back to rest at the nape of my neck, and my cheeks were flushed as were my swollen lips, but those would die down soon. "Get dressed, Sirius, we have to go downstairs. Like we've already established, this didn't mean anything." I said while meeting his eyes for the first time through the mirror.

No emotion crossed his eyes but the smirk on his face was false, just like my smile. I knew how much this meant, how much I wanted this to mean; we were only fooling ourselves for the moment. This had been happening for a while. It wasn't like I didn't want to be with Sirius; at that moment I probably would have given my right arm to be his girlfriend again, but I didn't want to get hurt either. It was the summer before our seventh year, we were both single, and we both wanted to have fun. So that's how it worked out. Instead of being together, we decided that friend with benefits was a much easier thing to go about doing.

As I shut the door behind me and leaned against the hard wood, I sighed while wiping the sweat that was forming on my brow. James' house may have been the shit and really old and historical, but it was hot as hell during this unusually sweltering heat of the English summer. Collecting myself again, I skipped down the stairs and out the back door while smiling at my sister who was sitting on the porch with Mrs. Potter and my own mother.

Mrs. Lupin was on her way over with Remus at any moment, and Blair and James were in the kitchen making snacks for everyone. After greeting my mother with a kiss and taking a seat next to Lyla around the large table that was set for lunch, I crossed my arms and waited while the parents discussed what flowers should be used if the florist was unable to get Lyla's first choice. Speaking of Lyla, her calculated gaze was focusing rather harshly on my right. Turning and giving my sister the most dazzling smile I could, my smile faltered when I saw her face.

The smirking was getting old. "And where have you been, my little Maid of Honor?" She asked while resting her hands on her protruding stomach. The teal colored, empire-waist shirt she was wearing hid her baby-bump but also made her skin glow with the help of her tan and I couldn't help but think she was probably the prettiest pregnant woman I had ever seen. Then her question hit me, and I raced to come up with an excuse.

"Oh, just in the bathroom and all." I said while giving her a slight smile and averting my eyes to where James and Blair were coming out to the back porch, James precariously holding a tray with one hand and tickling Blair with the other. When I looked back to Lyla, her face was growing ever more 'all knowing' by the second.

"And it took you a half-hour in the bathroom, eh?" Her eyes began to twinkle as I struggled to come up with a response. I was saved from further questioning, however, when Sirius's booming laughter was heard from inside and he and Remus walked out onto the back porch carrying a photo album. Lyla's smile grew to the size and wattage of the sun as Remus locked eyes with her and walked over to kiss her cheek. They were so cute it was almost disgusting.

"What do you have there, Pads?" James asked while Mrs. Potter took his tray and began to set out drinks and samples of the food that Remus and Lyla (mostly Lyla) had chosen for their dinner. Sirius's eyes looked like they were literally glittering in the afternoon sun and he tossed his hair from his eyes (doing weird things to my nervous system, that did) as he held the photo album high in the air.

"This, my dear Prongs, is a yearly dating of our dear Remus. Shall we have a look and relive the awkward years of ickle Reems?" He asked teasingly. Blair clapped her hands together before joining Sirius at his spot by the table. The parents rolled their eyes and began to discuss wedding plans, which usually just consisted of them squealing for hours while not getting anything done, while Lyla and I piled our plates with food as Remus joined us instead of reliving his past.

As we sat quietly at the other end of the table from the mothers, Remus made a face at one particularly grueling picture of himself. To ease the stress that the young couple usually felt while talking about the wedding, I took a large bite of some weird maroonish looking paste that had been slathered on my plate by Mrs. Potter, who was in charge of helping my mother locate caterers.

Choking the chalky substance down, I did my best to smile at Remus and Lyla who were both watching for my reaction. "Well, I'm not going to lie to you all, that was awesome." At their raised eyebrows, which seemed to happen in sequence nowadays, I took a large drink of my water and scraped my teeth over my tongue. "Okay, so that was the most disgusting thing I've ever put in my mouth."

"And we all know where that mouth has been, don't we Padfoot?" James asked as he plopped in the seat next to me and wiggled his eyebrows. Sending a sharp look at him, I turned quickly to make sure none of the adults had heard him.

"If we weren't in blatant view of your mother, I'd kill you right here, James." I said in a pleasant voice and then turned back to my food. Lyla's laughter came from across me and I tried not to roll my eyes as she and Remus took turn sampling the food. "So, Lyls, Reems, any idea on the food that you plan on serving at this shindig?"

"This 'shindig' is a _wedding_, Alex. Gosh, you act like they're just throwing some hoedown in the backyard or something," Blair whined and I leaned over some to see her sitting next to James at the large picnic table. Shrugging my shoulders, I felt heat on my person and covertly peered down at Sirius, who sat completely smooth next to Remus. The only tale-tale sign that he wasn't so nonchalant being his eyes locked on mine. The sound of a throat clearing almost had me jumping from my skin, but I let out a quiet relieved sigh when I saw that it was Mrs. Potter interrupting our chatting.

"Blair is exactly right! This is a wedding. There's so much to do! Now, if you all would, let's turn to the lovely chart that James and Blair constructed yesterday, shall we?" Flourishing her wand, a piece of cardboard, emblazoned with pretty pastel colors came zooming out of the kitchen to hang in the air next to her. As she adjusted the glasses that hid her pretty brown eyes, just like her sons without the green flecks, she smiled at us all.

Taking the job of official wedding planner from my mother, who had more than enough on her plate with Gran and some of the Parker family at the house this summer, and Remus' mother, who was more of a homebody than someone to get out and go, she had employed us for every spare moment to help with the organizing. With the wedding about a month and a half away, there was so much to do but as we really had no clue, she was in charge.

"Okay, now, I know we had talked about some flower choices, but Lyla you need to give us your final decision and choose a color scheme so we can talk to the florist today when you all leave here." Turning her gaze on Lyla, who had suddenly turned a nice blushing color, she waved her hand to the board where next to the bolded word 'Flowers' was a blank spot large enough to hold a picture.

"Well, uhm, Remus and I weren't really set on anything just yet." Trying to stall, she looked to my mother who just raised an eyebrow and narrowed her gaze telling her it wasn't going to work. Trying to find solace in Mrs. Lupin, who also seemed to think Lyla had to make this decision, she slumped her shoulders and sighed. "I hate making decisions."

I couldn't help but laugh slightly and settle back in my chair a bit more, pushing my plate away from me and watching Lyla suffer a little bit. Blair, who had been silent as Mrs. Potter took over, now spoke up again. "Lyla, you have to make the decisions though! It's your wedding here. And trust me, as much as I'd love to plan the whole thing for you, we're going to need your input so your totally content when the day comes."

"She better be content now," Remus muttered teasingly and then reached over to tuck my sister's hair away from her cheek. "Why not those big bunches of flowers that you like in the greenhouse? The ones that we cut last spring?" We all waited for Lyla to settle on something and when she did, her eyes lit up and she gave Remus a tight squeeze.

"Oh, I know what I want!" She exclaimed and then blushed slightly when we all jumped at her exclamation. "Well, I think the flowers should be blue and purple hydrangeas. And the color scheme is going to be blue, purple, and pink pastel colors."

Clapping her hands, Mrs. Potter set to finding the perfect color with Lyla and the moms who stood next to her now. James, who seemed to have had enough of the wedding preparations already, leaned forward while motioning to Remus, Blair, Sirius, and myself. "So, I'm thinking we ditch this and go play Quidditch in the field out back." Pushing the pâté around on his plate, he grimaced before shoving it away. "And Remus, if you serve this at your wedding I will make a totally drunken speech about your life."

"I'm not embarrassing, James. And I can't ditch this, you idiot. It's my wedding." He said annoyed, but I saw the smile on his face when he mentioned Lyla.

Shrugging my shoulders, I sat back in my chair. "I'll stay a bit longer and then skip out; if we can do something other than Quidditch though. We did that the other day and I've still got the bruise from it." I said while rubbing the sore spot on my knee from hitting that freaking tree branch. Rolling his eyes, James muttered something about clumsiness that I chose to ignore for his safety only.

"Well, I was thinking about going to look at flats if you lot wanted to join me." Sirius said casually and we all looked up at him in surprise. Seeing our looks, he shrugged us off. "It's about time I stopped mooching off of the Potters, even though I consider you all family, and after the inheritance I got from my late uncle, I can afford a place of my own for now."

"That's actually really mature of you, Black." Blair said with a grin and he shrugged his shoulder at the acknowledgement, but I noticed the slight tilt of his lips indicating he appreciated the praise.

Sighing, James leaned over to cuff his best mate across the shoulder. "As much as I'll miss seeing you go, it'll at least give us a place to party out of the watchful eyes of mum," And with a brotherly look, the clasped hands. Rolling my eyes, I pushed back my chair, and after confirming that I'd go too, I walked my plate inside.

Passing the parents who were talking about the venue (a church in London for the ceremony, James' backyard for the reception), I gave Lyla the best smile I could before letting it drop as I reached the house. After putting my plate in the sink, I leaned against the counter and poured myself a glass of iced tea from the pitcher that was still waiting. The condensation felt good against my hand, so I held it up to my cheeks and took a breath.

I hadn't really realized it until Sirius had said it, but Lyla and Remus getting married meant that my sister would no longer just be across the room from me. I wouldn't wake up in the morning to her getting out of bed at an insane hour. We wouldn't spend almost every waking minute together. And at night we wouldn't gossip into the wee hours of the morning about stupid shit like we did now.

My heart fell a little more when I thought about the fact that in just a few months after the wedding, she'd have a child, my goddaughter, which would take up even more of her time. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, and I used my t-shirt sleeve to quickly stop any of the salty liquid from dropping.

"You going to be alright?" A voice asked from behind me and I jumped, and then turned around with a bright, albeit fake, smile to look at my best friend. "Yeah, of course, just a little hot out there so I came inside." I lied through my teeth and as Blair's eyebrow rose I knew she knew I wasn't telling the whole truth.

"Are you sure?" She asked again and walked over to the sink to put her dishes down. Sucking in a quick breath, I nodded decisively. She didn't buy it, and I knew a tirade was coming, but Sirius stepping through the doorway, James hot on his heels, luckily saved me. "What are you two doing in here?"

"Evon wants us all outside. She's handing out the timeline and duties for the wedding. Merlin, Alexa, she's even scarier now than last Easter." James said quickly before ducking back outside. Smiling, I started to trail after James, pushing my thoughts aside. I was almost out the door when Sirius' hand landed on my shoulder, affectively stopping me. Blair moved past us gracefully, giving me a meaningful look that make me feel like I was caught with my hand in the cookie jar and I briefly wondered if she knew about Sirius and I. However, I was saved when she whispered that we would talk later about what was wrong.

Looking up at the boy, I waited for him to say something. But he just continued to stare at me until finally I couldn't take it anymore. "What?" I asked, sucking in a breath when the word came out a lot harsher than intended. "What is it, Sirius?" I amended and he continued to look at me before shaking his head and removing his hand.

"I just wanted to let you know, that even though we're having this," He lowered his voice so no one would overhear, "Fling, that we're still friends. We can still talk about shit and what not." Smiling I patted him on the upper arm as I started to walk forward again.

"I know, don't worry. And nothing is wrong." Sending him a smile, I walked back out to see what kind of torture my mother had for me now. "Maid of honor, reporting for duty." I said with authority and I saw Lyla roll her eyes but hand me a paper from an envelope. And actually, it was more like a large packet of paper.

At my questioning look, my mother brought us towards the end of the table where Blair now sat in front of her own packet of paper. While the boys were corralled into something for Mrs. Potter, which sounded a lot like measuring sections of the yard, we awaited my mother's orders. "Okay, girls, what you're going to do is take this menu of all the things we've tasted over the past few days and rate them on how good they were. In the end, Lyla will have the final decision, but we need to get a feel for this. You'll find the menu of the items on the sheets I gave you."

Nodding that we understood, I flipped through a few pages before frowning. This was a lot of stuff. "So after we're done doing that we can go?" I asked hopefully, and my mother outright laughed in my face.

"Of course not, after you finish that you'll be going over this," She lugged a huge stack in front of us, to which we all widened our eyes in horror. "And you will decide who you want to invite to the wedding." Before we had a chance to protest or fake an illness should the need arise, my mother had stalked off to see how the others were faring.

"This is torture!" Lyla moaned and then put her head on the table and her hand on her protruding stomach. "Not only do I have to decide on the food but they want me to go through all the people I've ever met and invite them to the wedding? Could it get worse?"

"Well, at least we're not making packets of almonds into a bow." I said with a grin as I looked at the first item on the menu. 'Agave Fruit Compote' sounded nice enough, not that I remembered eating it, so I gave it a 6 and moved on. "And we're not measuring the yard." I put in. Blair nodded and continued her survey with rapt attention but I noticed that Lyla was staring at her paper nervously.

"Lyls?" Blair asked looking up and seeing my sisters slightly green face. Then, without warning, she raced from her seat and inside to what I assumed would be the bathroom. As Remus took off after her, Blair looked at the list Lyla had been looking off of. "Well, I assume that 'Gizzard' won't be on the menu."

Passing us by with a string trailing from his wand, James let out a 'Thank Merlin' before being reprimanded for slacking and Blair and I turned briskly back to our work. A while later, after Lyla had come back and was now working quickly next to us as we narrowed down the menu to some appetizers, main course, and some desserts besides the cake, I looked over to the boys who were all resurrecting some random fencing mechanism that would be the pretend 'tent' where things would take place. Mrs. Potter wanted to see how everything would look, and after measuring off a safe area, she had set the boys to work.

"So, I know how much you hate talking about this, but have you decided on a dress or even looked at any in the catalogues mom showed you?" I said as I marked one last dessert down on my sheet of paper. Pushing it to the stack of keeps that was sitting at the end, waiting for Remus to agree with what we had picked, I looked at my sister who raised an eyebrow at me in warning.

Blair, seeming to notice this, piped in as she finished her last sheet as well. "It's just with the wedding six weeks away, you need to be semi-prepared for the day and that includes having a dress and knowing what you want with your make-up and hair."

"Ignoring the fact that I assume by saying semi-prepared you mean we're going to have some sort of disaster, I know that the wedding is six weeks away. And while I'm excited that also means that I'm going to be six weeks more pregnant. I'm going to have swollen ankles and feet, fatigue, and loss of appetite. It's supposed to be the happiest day of my life and I'm going to feel miserable." She said at a loss while putting her hand on her baby bump.

"At least your breasts look fantastic though," Sirius announced his appearance with a wink as he collected our stack of rejects to be thrown away. Throwing her pen at the boy, she rolled her eyes as Remus smacked him over the head. "Pretending that didn't happen, I don't really want to talk about the subject anymore, alright?"

Looking at my right towards Blair, I shook my head at my sister before turning back to look at her. "For once, I'm going to have to agree with Sirius and his round about compliment. You're still beautiful as you were when you weren't pregnant. And look at you now; it's five hundred degrees outside," She raised an eyebrow at my slight exaggeration, "And you're not even sweating. Plus, you've barely gained any weight and nothing about you is swollen or gross. You're pregnant. Not ugly."

"Alexa, don't just say that to make me feel better." She said quietly and then folded her hands over an extra piece of paper and smoothed the edges down across the table. Reaching out a hand to stop her, Blair smiled at her sincerely. Tearing up a little, as was her habit these days, Lyla smiled and then let out a shaky laugh while wiping at her eyes. "You guys are the best, you know that?"

"Well, duh, that's just the way we are." I said cockily while getting up from my seat and dusting off the back of my jean pockets. "So you'll come shopping with us soon?" I asked her and she nodded while swinging her legs over the edge of the bench to get up and go check on Remus. Stretching her arms over her head, Blair also stood up and walked over to where James and Mrs. Potter were standing and surveying the mock tent.

I noticed Sirius standing over near my mother and casually began to amble over, straining my ears to catch what little of their conversation as I could without looking like I'd been caught out. Secretly I was hoping that they'd be talking about me, but I quickly stopped my train of thought when I realized that that would be taking the friends with benefits idea into the area of 'caring' and would thus blow my life up again.

"And what's this riveting conversation about?" I asked with a smile as I stepped up to my mother and allowed her to put her arm around me in a hug. Since all the wedding preparation had begun, my mother had turned into a more 'touchy-feely' person, not that I was complaining. It was like now I actually had something to look forward to when she came to talk to me or wanted to know how I was. Mom hugs were the best. Second only to best friend hugs and Marauder hugs.

Patting me on the shoulder, my mom turned her smile towards me before returning her gaze to Sirius, who stood with his hands in his gray cargo shorts. "Sirius and I were just having a conversation about owning your own first home. It's such a lovely experience and if you can officially live on your own then you can really do anything." She said looking over to where Lyla and Remus were standing, his hand on her stomach as she smiled up at him adoringly. Catching Sirius' eye, I raised both my eyebrows once and casually tilted my head to the side.

As his eyes widened, he countered with another raised eyebrow, and I noticed his hands casually slip from his pockets, his right thumb hitching back towards the house. Biting my lip, I turned my most innocent smile on my mother. "Mom, I'm about to go inside and get some lemonade. Would you like me to get anything while I'm in there?" Crossing my fingers behind my back, I willed her to say yes or something of the like while she thought about it for a minute.

"Now that you mention it, love, I believe Margaret said she needed something from the linen cabinet; something about table settings or the like. Sirius, would you mind helping Alexa with those? I'm afraid she's just too short to reach them." Grinning like a fool, he agreed to help while I slipped away from my mother's hold. Pouting at being called short, I started to walk towards the inside, while my mother called after me. "Don't be ashamed, Al! The short genes run on my side of the family."

Locating the linens cabinet in the closet outside of the Formal dining room, I opened the door and looked to the top shelf where I saw what my mother was talking about. Feeling Sirius come up behind me, I put my hands on my hips before glaring at the shelf. It really was too tall. "Damn," I muttered while Sirius' deep laughter came from behind me. "Well, come on then, show me what you've got." I said before I went to move out of the way.

"Oh, I believe you've already seen that." He said before giving me a chance to move and stepping right up to me, while reaching his hands up and easily scooping the cloths from the shelf. Holding my breath as his arms circled me, I felt him dip his head down to speak directly in my ear. "And I believe your exact reaction was to say my name a little louder." And just as he said it, he bit down on my earlobe, causing me to jump and all of the linens in his hands to drop all over the floor.

"Sirius Black!" I shrieked as he laughed even harder. Footsteps running down the hall made me take a step away from him, just as James and Remus rounded the corner. Seeing Sirius laughing still and my reddened face, as well as the linens on the floor, James smiled while Remus rolled his eyes.

"Padfoot, you know it's against the Marauder's code to scare a woman while she's carrying out the duties of Margaret Potter." James reprimanded with a light in his hazel eyes. Sticking my tongue out and I then huffed at the boys' amused expressions before sliding past Sirius and whispering so only he would hear. "You're totally not getting anything for the rest of the week."

Walking back outside and letting the boys pick up the mess, I sat back down at the picnic table with Lyla, Blair, my mother, and Remus' mother. "Well, let's get the guest list knocked out, shall we?"

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><p>"Pads! This one has a pool." James said as he scurried around the back of the flat we were all looking at, at the moment. Rolling my eyes, I walked a little behind the realtor and Sirius, who were discussing prices, amenities, and things that really were just over my head. When we had met the woman earlier that day, her charm and skyscraper heels immediately smote Sirius and James. I, on the other hand, had kept my wits about me. Seeing as I didn't want to be the only person accompanying these two Marauders on the hunt for Sirius' bachelor pad, I had hung back, only offering my opinions when they asked for them.<p>

"It's a modest flat with a nice open floor plan for the living room, kitchen, and dining area, but the loos and the bedrooms are, of course, closed off. There's a master suite, an extra bedroom, and a guest bathroom. Furniture is not included, but as Mr. Potter pointed out, there is a resident pool and sauna." Tottering around, she put the key in the door and pushed, slipping slightly and smiling coyly at Sirius who caught her before she hit the ground.

Ignoring the constricting of my fingers, which were now happily clenched into fists, I slugged James in the arm as I passed him on the way into the house. "Uhm, ow?" He called after me and I rolled my eyes again while taking in the flat. It was moderately spaced, nothing too huge and not a closet either, and then made my way to the big window/door that led out to a small balcony. Seeing as we were on the third floor of the apartment complex, the window would still allow privacy and a nice view.

"What do you think, Alex?" Sirius asked me and his voice rang out down the hall. Following the sound of his voice, I stopped in front of the door that led to the master bedroom. Easily the largest room in the house, apart from the open floor plan of the kitchen/living area, the room boasted a big bay window, it's own private bath, walk in closet, and enough room for lots of furniture. "Well?" He prompted as he came out of the bathroom.

"It's by far the best one we've looked at today." I said, still slightly in awe of the perfectness of this room. "If you don't buy it, I will." Smiling at the boy, he grinned back while going to stand by the bay window. James came into the room, putting a hand on my shoulder and smiling at me knowingly, causing me to send him a questioning look.

"We all know this is the room you'd like the best." He winked once and I whipped around to see if Sirius had heard him. Luckily, it didn't appear to be so, but I sent James a scathing look all the same. Trying to stay calm, I was about to tell him he was stupid and had no clue to what he was saying when the woman walked back in with her clipboard. "Well, Mr. Black, Mr. Potter? What do you think?"

Sirius turned from the window and came to stand by James and I, his gray eyes glinting and James seemed to understand the meaning behind his hidden look. I felt Sirius' arm wrap around my waist and James let his hand drop closer to my chest from where it sat on my shoulder. The realtor's eyes followed their movements, her smile not wavering in the slightest, and my face flamed when I realized what they were implying.

"Well, we just want our girl happy and she seems to really enjoy this bedroom." Turning his sultry gaze to my eyes, I tried my best to glare at Sirius who squeezed me, causing me to jump back into James' arms. "How much is the asking price?"

"Rent for three would be easily split, and because it's a muggle neighborhood, it will be a bit higher." She glanced at her clipboard and I stomped none too lightly on James' foot, causing him to release me before I stumbled out of Sirius' hold. "It'd just be one rent, actually. I'm, uhm, not with them you see. We're just friends." I tried to recover my credibility but the look on the woman's face told me she didn't believe a word I was saying.

"It's not my place to judge, love. And between us girls, they are such a fine catch. And you got both of them!" I felt my face flame up again and as I opened my mouth to plead my case again, I felt a sharp swat on my backside. "Sirius!" I shrieked and he just winked, putting his hand on the realtor's back and guiding her from the room to talk numbers. Turning to James, who was laughing to himself, I did my best glare before stalking the room. "I'll be waiting outside." I announced to the group, who all got a little laugh at my expense.

Twenty or so minutes later, as I was leaning against the railing of the apartment complex looking down at the street below, the door opened to the flat and the realtor smiled at me before she walked to the stairs and began to make her way down them. As the boys stood to either side of me, I kept my eyes straight when I talked to them. "So, I take it the flat is now under the name Sirius Black?"

Tugging on my ponytail, Sirius pouted when I wouldn't look at him. "Technically, not for another few weeks. I have to think about it and then sign on it."

"But the woman did try to get him in on some sexual deviancies. Gave him her address and all, she did." Glancing out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sirius roll his eyes and shake his head at James, whose own eyes were twinkling with knowledge of something he thought he knew. "Well, I'm going to head home. Busy day and all, and I happen to be knackered." With a kiss on my cheek, trying to lighten my mood, he disapparated loudly, causing us to both jump and curse while looking around to make sure there were no muggles about.

As Sirius and I stood for a few moments more in silence, I sighed and pushed myself off the rail before making my way towards the stairs. "Well, I'm not too far from here so I think I'm just going to walk it." Turning the corner, I saw Sirius let out a breath of air and then follow after me.

"You can't walk home by yourself, Alex." He said while taking the stairs quickly to catch up to me. By the time we reached the bottom, we were eye level as I stood a few steps above him. "It's getting dark. You might as well let me walk you." Looking around, and not at his pouting face, I noticed that the stores on the street were closing down and the street lamps were turning on.

"Fine, but only because I don't want to get caught doing underage magic if someone jumps me." Sending me a grin, he slung an arm around my shoulders as we ambled down the street and just like that I seemed to forget all about the joke he played on me earlier. "Mr. Black, I daresay you're getting awfully boyfriend-like tonight." I said jokingly and he sent me a look while rolling his eyes.

"Ms. Parker, I'm highly offended. Who am I to resist walking a defenseless woman home?" I rolled my eyes at the defenseless part and he continued over my discretion. "Besides, an arm around the shoulder is nothing. Now, holding hands; that's dangerous territory." I couldn't help but laugh, as he sounded so offended while saying it. Allowing myself to lean against his side some, I meandered down the street with him.

Within a few minutes, as I had tried without success to think of something to say to him, we had arrived at my front porch. Looking down at his watch, I noticed that it was only 7 o'clock, but all of the lights were out inside. "Well, looks like it's home alone for the night. They must have gone out to eat without me." I said, meaning it was a joke but realizing that it had come out a bit bitterly.

"Well, I'm here. I can stay if you'd like me to." Sirius said with a smile. My heart leapt involuntarily and I frowned slightly. Standing under the dark porch, I felt covered, knowing that if I asked him to come inside it would solidify our friendship, but if I said I was fine and went alone, we would remain in the awkward unbalance. Naturally, I knew what to do.

"I think I'll be alright tonight. I'm not really looking to do anything tonight." I said with emphasis on the 'anything.' Sirius' smile faltered for a moment and then he smiled broadly at me again, his teeth shining in the darkness as he reached into my hand and took my key from it.

As he unlocked the door, he spoke to me again. "That's good because you've kind of exhausted me. We're friends, Alexa, and friends hang out. Let's just talk and do nothing for a while. Besides, I know your mom has leftovers from dinner the other night and I'm starving."

Laughing, I knocked him with my hip nudging him out of the way to extract my key from the hole and push the door open. As expected, no one was home (even my extended family who visited so often) and I found myself taking the familiar route to the kitchen in the dark. Sirius, who was on my tale, waved his wand and the lights came on through the swinging door.

"Well, let's see what we've got going on in here." I opened the fridge, pulling out items as Sirius got down plates and cutlery for us to use. "We might as well cook something, Sirius, there's not much going on in the ways of prepared food." Peering over my shoulder, he looked into the refrigerator and let out a huff that ruffled the loose hairs on my shoulder.

"Looks like a whole lot of nothing." Rolling my eyes at his obviousness, I moved him out of my way to pull dry noodles and soup cans from the cabinet. "Grab some of the chicken out of the freezer, would you? I'm going to make something." Nodding his head, he got what I asked for as I rummaged around for pots and pans. He leaned against the counter, handing me things, as I needed them, before eventually he got bored.

"Where's Little Sirius at?" He questioned me while making a tower out of the spice bottles I had requested from him. Grabbing the salt from the counter before he could add it, I raised my eyebrows at him and made a face, which he returned.

Sighing, I pointed to the direction of the kitchen door with the knife I was using to cut up the chicken. "He's upstairs in my room, but I swear to Merlin, if you prank anything up there I will chop your fingers off, Sirius." Raising his hands in surrender while grinning, he swaggered away towards the door before winking over his shoulder. Trying hard to retain my smile, I turned back to dicing the chicken, grabbing spices off of the tower that he had built as I went. As I was placing the pieces into the pan that was sizzling with oil, Sirius walked back in cooing to my cat that had grown substantially since Christmas.

"I don't think you're cooking that right," Sirius said in a nasally tone as he stood behind me watching the oil pop and the chicken turn from pale pink and raw to white and cooked.

"Stop being an asshat, Black, and stir the noodles." Mocking me from behind, he held Little Sirius in one hand while picking up the spoon and stirring the noodles that were slowly cooking in the pot next to the chicken pan. After flipping the chicken and setting the top on it so oil wouldn't splatter everywhere, I washed my hands quickly and took my meowing cat from Sirius' arms. "Who's a good little kitty?" I cooed while Little Sirius licked my face.

Scratching him under his chin, Sirius stood in front of me before snatching the cat away. "Hey!" I cried in outrage but he silenced me by pulling me over to a chair to sit down. He sat on the other side and then put Little Sirius in the middle, which stood and swung his head to either side to look at us.

"We're going to have a little experiment. Neither of us are going to say or do anything, and we're going to see who Little Sirius likes more." Rolling my eyes, I leaned back in my chair.

"That's a bad idea, Sirius. Someone is going to get their feelings hurt." Waving me off, he leaned back in his own seat as well, acting like he wasn't fazed at all. "No they're not, because he's going to pick me and it will all be good."

Sighing, I crossed my legs and watched Sirius' face as Little Sirius continued to stand in the middle of the table like a dunce. I loved the cat to death, but sometimes he was too much like human-Sirius to fathom. Eventually, as he started to move, I looked into the little green eyes of my black cat and smiled widely when I felt his little pink nose on mine. "He knows who takes care of him." I said while patting his little white feet as he meowed happily.

"Yes, well, he just doesn't realize who he really loves because I'm not around him as much as you are." Sirius said as he scrambled to sit up and hide his sadness. Laughing, I nudged Little Sirius towards human-Sirius and grinned when Sirius smiled at the little cat. "What are you grinning at? Your noodles are boiling over."

Jumping from my seat, I cursed as water went all over the stove, smoke rising as it hit the hot surface. "Shit, shit, shit." I said while removing the pot from the burner and setting it on a potholder so it wouldn't burn the counter. Sirius laughed while coming over to help me clean up the mess. Putting his chin on my shoulder when we were finished and I had turned back to the kitchen, he sighed and then wrapped his arms around my waist.

"What's next?" He asked, and as his breath fanned over my neck I shivered before popping the lid on the chicken broth and other soups. "Well, we mix in the cream cheese, cottage cheese, and soups and then add the noodles and bake it." I said while trying to control myself. Moving away to get me the cream cheese, I looked down at the pan and tried not to feel my face flame red as I blushed. Merlin this boy was having the strangest effects on me today.

Eventually as the oven dinged and we put food on our plates, we went into the living room to watch the muggle television that my father had installed earlier in the summer. Turning it on to a random game show, we sat together on the couch while we ate in semi-silence. Once everything was finished, Sirius sat our plates on the coffee table and I leaned back against the arm of the couch while placing my legs in Sirius' lap.

He placed his hands on my calves and then pulled me down some so I was lying down and squeezed my legs soothingly while Little Sirius moseyed into the living room and sat himself on my stomach. "I'm going to fall asleep and leave you to clean everything up if your not careful, Sirius." I said sleepily as he flicked the lights off with his wand. He smiled at me as the nightly news came on and the clock in the living room chimed nine times.

It wasn't long after that my eyes closed on their own accord and my hand slowly stopped it's petting of Little Sirius. I dozed dreamlessly, barely moving when Sirius got up from the couch. My eyes wrenched open, however, once the clock chimed in the living room. Listening to it, I heard only one ring and looked around confused when I saw Sirius sleeping in one of the chairs across the room. The television was off and I got up, slowly putting Little Sirius on the cushion beside me.

Walking into the kitchen, I saw that it was all cleaned up and there was a note on the counter from my parents telling me they were upstairs and that Lyla was at the Lupin's for the night and to head upstairs when I woke up because they would be leaving early in the morning. After grabbing a quick glass of water, I walked back into the living room and leaned against the door for a moment watching how innocent Sirius looked in his sleep.

Smiling to myself, I walked over to him and moved some of his hair out of his eyes before waking him up slightly. As his eyes blinked open, I smiled. "Hey, we fell asleep." I stated obviously and he sat up, cracking his neck from its uncomfortable position. Looking at the clock that was glowing from the light the half-moon gave he widened his eyes.

"I better get going then." He whispered while getting up and going to put his shoes back on. Stopping his hand, I brushed some of my extremely messy hair out of my eyes and shrugged my shoulders.

"Stay, please." I tacked on for good measure. His eyes widened and then he nodded, allowing me to take his hand and pull him from the living room, Little Sirius weaving through our legs and bounding up the stairs ahead of me.

Quickly changing into an oversize nightgown/t-shirt and throwing Sirius a pair of Remus' sleeping pants, I walked into the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. Sirius joined me, shirtless as usual, as I was putting moisturizer on my face. Leaning down to brush his own teeth and wash his face, I couldn't contain my laughter when he snatched my sparkly silver headband to hold his hair out of his face.

Jumping up on the counter and sitting while he finished his nightly routine, I smiled at his soapy face and he made a hum of dissatisfaction at my laughter as he rinsed his face. Then, to piss me off he shook the water off of his face all over me. "Sirius, you loser." I shrieked and he laughed at my comeback, mocking me in a high-pitched voice as I walked out of the bathroom and turned the lights off on him.

Following me out, I watched him hesitate when it came to choosing a bed to sleep in. Rolling my eyes, I grabbed his wrist and brought him over to my bed and shoved him towards the side next to the wall, where I didn't usually sleep. As we climbed into bed, I turned on my side to face him, smiling as he wrapped an arm around my waist and brought me closer. Cuddling, I closed my eyes once again, falling asleep to the easy sound of Sirius' steady heartbeat and rhythmic rise and fall of his chest.

* * *

><p>Two days later, I stood outside the bathroom door, dancing around on my tiptoes as Lyla did whatever it was that she does inside of the bathroom with the door locked. "Come on, Lyls. I have to go to the bathroom!" I yelled in once again to no answer. Finally, after I pounded on the door once more, Lyla opened the door, waving her hand to allow me access.<p>

Once I had returned from the bathroom, I walked over to my bed to start pulling clothes for the day out of my drawers. After grabbing my undergarments, I turned to look at my sister who was freshly showered and was putting makeup on at her dresser. "You ready for this fantastic day of shopping?" She asked me in a mock happy voice as she opened her mouth slightly to put her mascara on.

"Wait, so we actually have to look nice today instead of slumming it?" I asked while raking a hand through my brown strands that were a curled mess from sleep. Looking at my pajamas, which consisted of sleep pants that were fraying at the hem and my faded t-shirt, she raised an eyebrow and then shooed me towards the bathroom with her mascara wand.

"If I find a way to get up in the morning, shower and get ready, while carrying this baby around and constantly being hot and having to use the restroom, then yes. I actually expect you to look nice today." Rolling my eyes and waving her off, I stepped into the bathroom to ready myself for the day.

Forty minutes later, we stepped through the front door of the house, Lyla swinging her messenger bag over her shoulder, which contained all the day's essentials, as I shoved my pockets into my cuffed blue-jean shorts. Once we had reached the entrance to our neighborhood, Lyla and I started up a conversation to make the day flow a little more smoothly. I knew she didn't want to be walking around in the heat, but it was the only way we were going to get anything to happen seeing as we couldn't drive muggle cars and there was no way we were taking brooms.

We had also figured that shopping in muggle London would be one of the easiest ways to go because not only would there be less people to run into, but we also wouldn't have the shop keepers to worry about constantly. "So where do you want to go first? There's the baby store in the shopping center or the maternity store or," I racked my brain for things they would need but Lyla cut in when she saw my struggle.

"At some point, we'll need clothes, bottles, nappies, toys, wipes, food. I'll need clothes and new undergarments. We'll need furniture for the baby." As she continued to talk about the things she would need, I widened my eyes realizing something that was very important.

"Uhm, I know that you and Remus are swamped right now, but aren't you all going to need a house or are you going to live with us still after you marry and have a child?" We stopped in front of the baby store and looked into the windows at all the happy people inside. Some men stood helplessly while their wives and soon-to-be mothers threw things into carts. Other women stood together and debated while holding up jumpsuit looking things.

When I turned back to Lyla, she was holding a piece of paper that looked to be a list of things she wanted to get today. "Well, when we get to Hogwarts again, it will all be picked out for us. The dorms we'll live in will be set up and ready to live with everything that we need. But, I guess for now, we're just going to do the best we can and set up a baby room in the guest room of our house. Here, let's go in and take a look around."

Following her inside, a lovely looking lady who shoved a cart in our direction greeted us and then we were on our way, looking around at the immenseness of the store and all it had to offer. After Lyla had went off in search of pink 'onesies,' as she called them, I wondered around picking up cute blankets and socks and a few outfits that I thought Lyla would like. Then, my eyes lit on the strangest contraption I had ever seen. Picking the box off the shelf, I held it discretely and looked for Lyla when the lady from earlier found me stalking around. "Uh, hello." I stuttered out while her smile widened at my find.

"Oh, I see you've found our latest breast pump model. This one has great suctioning abilities and helps mothers release twice the milk of the other models that we had from last year." My eyes widened and my face flamed, as she looked me up and down. "Although, you seem to have gotten the wrong size, love. And you can't be more than a few weeks pregnant at the most. You do just have that mother's glow about you don't you?"

Turning around to go back to the place where I had found the 'pump,' she took the box from me and as soon as she was out of sight I did what any respectable 16-year-old girl would do and bolted. By the time I found Lyla, she was tearing up over by the baby cribs, and I paused to catch my breath before walking over and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Oh, Lyls, that one is perfect."

She nodded and I placed my findings in the cart as we continued to look at the crib that was set up in front of us. It was a white crib with different types of baby animals carved into the molding. The bedding was a pretty powder pink, with yellow stripes running down the side of the sheets and the bumper. The bed-skirt was the same yellow with pink accents at the bottom. Turning from the bedding, which I was adamantly staring at, Lyla shook her head and addressed me.

"Where have you been this whole time, by the way. I've been over hear ogling this crib like a stalker and you have been M.I.A." She said while turning from the bed and beginning to push the cart away. Turning away, I followed her as she continued to look around the crib and stroller section of the store.

"Had a run in with a medieval torture device that literally sucks the milk from your boobs like a suction hose. But why aren't you getting that bed stuff?" Laughing at me, Lyla stopped to look at something else with a slight frown on her face.

"First off, it's called a breast pump and I've heard it can be very useful. You need to do some research before you come baby shopping with me again. And the bedding is pretty fantastic, but the crib and everything that comes along with it is too expensive." Looking at my frown, she sighed and put down the things she was looking at. "Remus and I are on a budget. And while it's great that mom and dad are paying for the wedding, we still have no way to pay for a honeymoon, no apartment money, and we have so many other things to pay for with this baby. We've both agreed to just use one of our hand-me-down cribs."

Gaping at my sister, I tried not to roll my eyes before grabbing the things I had picked out of the cart and walking towards the register. "I'm going to pay for my things, and you pick out your things, and we'll hit up the next couple of stores before lunch." Walking off, I pulled my money out while trying not to feel too terrible for my sister and my friend.

A couple of hours, and some slightly less awesome bedding later, Lyla and I sat in a café for tea and sandwiches. Since I had been waiting for the perfect time to breach the subject all morning, I took a sip of my tea and put it down while Lyla continued to sip on her non-caffeinated drink. "So, Lyls, I wanted to talk to you about something. Now, just go with me here. I mean I know that you don't really want this but it's inevitable and something really needs to be done. And seeing as I'm your sister and Maid of Honor, it is my job to see that something does go down."

Putting her drink down, Lyla frowned at me and then rolled her eyes. "We are not throwing some stripper livened, crazy drunk, final blowout bachelorette party, Alexa. If you hadn't noticed, I'm four and a half months pregnant. I no longer have ankles, nor can I drink. A party is not what I really want right now."

"But it's tradition, Lyla!" I yelled out, and then covered my mouth as many of the heads in the café turned towards me. Giving them a slight wave I turned back to Lyla. "Besides, if this party isn't epic as hell then Sirius is going to give _me_ hell forever."

Raising an eyebrow, Lyla leaned towards me from across the table. "Is this about throwing me a party or one-upping Sirius, Alexa? I thought you were over him, by the way?" She sent me a look that she clearly didn't believe that and I scrambled for words as I thought about the fact that she could very well know about our little arrangement.

"It's about throwing my favorite and only sister the bachelorette party she deserves with her best friends. And if it just so happens to be amazing in all things and blows other peoples parties out of the water, then that will just be a happy little bonus." I told her truthfully with a smile, hoping she would buy it and believe me. Leaning back in her seat, she folded her arms across her protruding stomach and pursed her lips.

"I'll think about it." She said and I cheered happily but she then looked at me sternly. "But if I say no, then that's it."

"Aye, aye, Captain." I said and then slammed the rest of my tea before shoving my sandwich in my mouth. "Well, what are you waiting for? We have a party to plan, dresses to buy, and more maternity things to get for you." Grabbing her by the arm, I hauled our bags in the crook of my elbow and we made our way out of the café as Lyla flung our payment to the table, leaving a generous tip for my outbursts.

Later that night as we walked home, carrying numerous bags and talking about how Blair was going to flip her lid when she saw all of the baby clothes, I thought about telling Lyla about Sirius and I. It was irrational, and probably weird to think of it, but I couldn't help it. Ever since he had spent the night a few days ago, I had been getting that bubbly feeling; the one I hadn't felt since we first started dating and then again when he told me he loved me for the first time.

Not to say that the feeling wasn't every bit as exciting and lovely as the first times it happened, but I couldn't be feeling that now. Sirius and I were just friends, friends who had sex, nonetheless, but still just friends. And I wouldn't change that. Couldn't change that.

Sighing as we walked towards the door, I opened my mouth to tell Lyla that I wanted to talk when the door burst open and Blair came running towards us yelling insane things about babies and how she was going to rip the bags open if we didn't just hand them to her now. Smiling at my friend, I waved off Lyla's questioning look. It was better to just throw myself into baby mania anyway. I did not want to think about my own problems or what the boys were up to right now.

* * *

><p><em>James' Point of View<em>

Sirius and Alexa were totally shagging again. And they thought I didn't know. If I wasn't extremely insulted by their blatant disregard at my ninja status, I would totally be excited for them. As it was, however, I was pretty enraged. Did they no longer think that I, the head Marauder and sleuth extraordinaire, would find out? As Sirius, Remus, Pete, and I all sat around on our standard issue, wooden barstools in the middle of my bedroom awaiting the beginning oath of the Marauder's for our meeting to start, I totally would have laid into the boy. But, I had a duty to do, and right now they were counting on me.

I'd get to him all in due time.

"Gentlemen, if Messer Moony would be so kind as to read out the oath so that we may all swear upon it?" I said in a booming voice. Peter looked about ready to wet himself before I rolled my eyes and said in a normal voice, "It's been sound barrier-ed, Wormtail. Chill it out."

Taking a deep breath, Remus cleared his throat and then began in the old English vernacular. "I, Remus John Lupin, do swear that I will well and truly serve our fellow Marauders and Marauders of the past in the office of pranking and mayhem, and I will do wrong to all manner of people, especially Slytherin gits, after the laws and usages of this realm, with the use of fear and favour, affection and illwill. So help me God, Merlin, Godric, and Dumbledore."

"So help me God, Merlin, Godric, and Dumbledore." We all repeated after him and as we rubbed our wrists, a left over reaction from the one time we decided we should all become blood brothers and it went terribly wrong (blood everywhere, my mother furious, the house-elf scared shitless), Sirius rocked back on his stool and looked at me.

"What's the agenda for the meeting tonight, Prongs? Didn't we just have one of these the last week of school? And that was what," He paused and thought in his mind, "Only three weeks ago?"

"Yes, Padfoot, three weeks that you have been hiding something very important from your fellow Marauders. Now, isn't there something you wish to tell us all?" Seeing as I had Moony and Wormtail's attention, I continued on. "I believe that, if you don't remember or have forgotten the rules,"

"That's the same thing, Prongs." Remus interrupted.

"Anyway, if you don't tell us what I know, then you must strip to your skivvies and run through the neighborhood. Not a good prospect if you think about the time Mrs. Emerson from down the street told you she was lonely and had seen you do this once before."

Shuddering, Wormtail let out a squeak as Remus shook his head in slight pain. "Whatever it is, Padfoot, you might just want to give it up now. I'd rather not go out in the heat tonight." He said and I nodded my head at my friends in triumph. Sirius, who had only moved his eyebrow at the mention of Mrs. Emerson, now sat forward on his stool so we would all gather in.

"Well, boys, Prongs here is correct. I've been devious," He said with a swift twitching of his eyebrows at the word. Before he went any further, Peter spoke up.

"I'd really not hear about any more of your conquests, Padfoot. Can't we go back to the days when you only shagged Alexa and wouldn't tell us about it? It'll save all of our ears." As everyone turned their attention to Peter, he shrank back some and blushed at our attention. The boy really needed to loosen the hell up.

Rolling his eyes, Sirius brought the attention away, sparing Peter anymore of his awkward blubbering, "What I was going to say before being interrupted was that the devious thing that I have been doing is going to blow all of your socks off. I, Sirius Black, am," While I smirked at what was obviously coming next, Remus and Peter looked on in rapt attention. "Going to buy a house."

Sending me a wink, Sirius leaned back with a smirk of his own. "That's not really all that surprising, Sirius. We knew you have been looking at houses lately." Remus said while leaning back and examining his fingernails in boredom.

Swallowing the urge to knock the smirking ebony haired boy from his perch, I put my hands on my hips best I could without standing up. Rule number 12 of the Marauder's: Never stand during a meeting lest your punishment be a pile on of the other Marauders. "Padfoot is a dirty rotten liar and if he doesn't come clean in the next thirty second, he will pay by way of Mrs. Emerson."

Weighing his options, Sirius looked torn between what to say and I smiled evilly. First, I knew that if he were made to see Mrs. Emerson, he would either be taken alive by the man-eater and would die in her clutches or would be beaten senseless by her husband, who seemed to not know anything of her man-eating ways. And second, I knew that he was weighing the option of being killed in cold blood by Alexa if the secret of them shagging got out. Finally, right as his seconds were ticking down to zero, he decided on which punishment was worse.

"Fine, that's not it." Glaring at me, he looked at each of the four of us with a stern expression on his pureblood features. "I swear on the Marauder's Guide though, if you all tell anyone what I'm about to tell you then I will personally feed you to the Bloody Barron. Swear it on the Guide."

Summoning the book from my bedside table, I put it on the table that Remus had conjured in the middle of us. Looking at the book, we all smiled fondly for a moment at the Guide that started it all. The Marauder's Guide: To All Things Good was like our version of the Bible. Or Filch's version of How to Catch a Prankster. If one made a promise to the Guide, it was kept until stated that it was all right to release the promise.

"I'll swear on it." I said with a smile and put my hand in the middle, right above the antlers that had been embossed on the cover.

"Definitely," Remus said, placing his hand below mine on the moon. Peter was next, silently placing his hand on the rat located cattycorner to the edge. Finally, Sirius placed his hand at the top above the words.

Once we had all taken our hands off, Sirius took a deep breath. "Okay, for the past few weeks, since the train ride home, I have been partaking in a small friends with benefits relationship with Alexa." As he waited for everyone's reaction, I noticed that the only one who had reacted was Peter. "What, no big gasps or anything?"

"Well, I obviously already knew since I was trying to get you to come clean," I said nonchalantly while shrugging my shoulders.

"And it was pretty obvious that something was going on. I mean, really, you smell like a girl lately, Padfoot and anyone in their sane mind would recognize Alexa's perfume because she's the only one that wears it." Remus said with a grin and Sirius face-palmed in annoyance.

"Why didn't anyone say anything? Do you think the girls notice something is up? Because if they do then you can guarantee that this will be over and we'll be back to the friends-only zone in less time than it would take for me to turn into Padfoot." As my best friend got all worked up, I raised an eyebrow and something clicked in my head.

"Dear lords, Padfoot, are you saying that you like Alexa Parker again?" I questioned while leaning forward. Remus tilted his head to the side and Peter even tuned in while we watched Sirius squirm.

He stuttered on for a moment before clearing his throat and sitting up straight in his chair. "No, don't be silly. We're taking part in this because we are both hormonal teens. Not because we want an actual relationship again. Everyone knows how well that turned out last time."

"But that doesn't mean you wouldn't get it right the second time," Moony said while putting his thinking expression on. "Everyone has fights. I mean, Merlin, Lyla and I were almost done for good but now we're getting married with a baby on the way."

"And everyone knows that Blair and I were almost finished over the Lily fiasco a few months back." I put in to make him feel better. As we had discussed in numerous talks before, Sirius was better with Alexa. Less arrogant, more understanding, not as prickish and playboyish, as he would be without her.

"Yes, well, it's not going to happen so can we implement rule 28 and drop the subject, please?" He sighed while running a hand through his hair and Remus and I exchanged a look before letting the subject drop for now. Rules were supposed to be followed and we would do that for him.

"Well, alright, but what else is there to talk about?" Remus asked while fiddling with the edge of the Guide that still sat between us all. With a shit-eating grin, Sirius put his mask back up for the time being and tapped his fingers along the table for a few moments. "What?"

"Two words for you, Moony." I said catching Sirius' drift. As we looked at the boy in question, we both smiled evilly. With the seventh week until the wedding winding down quickly, we knew what we had to do so no more time would be lost and the girls wouldn't one up us again. Remus groaned when he realized what we were up to and Peter squeaked in excitement again.

"Bachelor Party!"


	2. Rule 112: Element of Surprise

AN: Greetings all you lovely people out there. I am proud and happy to present to you the second chapter of 'The Guide' and I hope you all enjoy it. Just so you know, we both have started back to school so updates may not come as quickly as we would like them too but I promise you we will try as hard as we can. So, again, ENJOY!

Disclaimer: We don't own. Quit assuming we do. :D

* * *

><p><em>Rule 112: If one wishes to surprise another Marauder, one must spare no expense and leave no stone unturned in the execution of the surprise.<em>

_Lyla's Point of View_

"Guys, thank you so much again for coming with me," I said to James and Sirius, who were walking beside me on the crowded street. "It's just Remus was doing something with his parents and Alexa and Blair were off running errands for my mother."

James put his arm around me and shook his head, dismissing my explanation. "Lyla, this involves cake, of course I'm happy to go," he told me, his boyish smile beaming as his glasses began to slide down his thin nose.

"What James means," Sirius jumped in, "Is that we are happy to come along with you. As your best man and the godfather of your baby, we should be helping you with anything that you need." I gave Sirius a smile as he rambled on about the things that were required of him. When he saw me looking at him, he looked back at me sheepishly. "Getting to try all kinds of cake is just an added bonus."

I just shook my head at the two boys who were accompanying me as we neared the bakery. I placed rested my hands on my growing stomach as James opened the door. I was suddenly hit with a blast of cool air, a nice relief from the immense heat that was plaguing Britain at the moment, and the intense smell of sugar and fresh batter. James's eyes widened as we entered the quaint little shop and stepped to the class display case housing a number of seemingly delicious confections.

James managed to peel his drooling face off of the clear case and pulled Sirius and I away from the counter as a person approached us. He leaned in and beckoned for us to follow. "Now, Lyla, you just let Sirius and I handle this," he said matter-of-factly. "They are going to try to take advantage of you and give you a raw deal, I've seen this a number of times. So, just us take the lead."

"This is a bakery, James, I don't think there is anything shifty about this place," I tried to reason with him, but he seemed unmoved in his position. "I mean, look, they have a cute little puppy," I said, pointing over to the small little dog sitting in the front window on a large pillow.

James and Sirius looked over at the tiny little canine and analyzed it. "Don't think for a second that that dog wouldn't go straight for the jugular if given the chance," James said with confidence. "Just trust us on this Lyls, we know what we're doing." I knew resistance was futile, so I just gave in and let James and Sirius take the reigns on this one.

A slight gentleman was now before us, dressed in a deep blue suit, that was rather hideous, but he held the lapels with a certain pride. "Well, you must be Ms. Parker," the man said in a slow sophisticated drawl. I nodded with a smile taking his extended hand into mine and shaking it. "I am Mr. Carroll, the owner of this bakery," stated and then turned his attention to James and Sirius, "And one of these fine gentlemen must be your fiancé?"

Before I could correct Mr. Carroll, James and Sirius took a slight step forward and addressed the man before us. "I am Mr. Potter and this is Mr. Black," James said sternly, pointing to himself and Sirius. "We are consultants to Ms. Parker." Mr. Carroll was somewhat taken back by James's intensity, and looked between the two boys, not really sure how to respond.

I rolled my eyes and added, "These are my friends." Mr. Carroll smiled hesitantly at my clarification as James and Sirius continued to stare us down. James put his arm around the owner, who fit perfectly under James's tall frame, and turned the man toward the back part of the bakery.

"How about we get down to business?" Sirius suggested as he fell in suit with James's stride, as I followed behind.

Mr. Carroll led us back to a room with several mock cakes on display and several tables surrounded by chairs. By the time he had us seated, he had gained back most of his composure. He sat down across the table from the three of us, a pen and paper lying on the table before him. "Now, Ms. Parker, did you have any idea on what you wanted for your cake? Any specific design or flavor?"

Sirius put his hand on my shoulder and gave me a reassuring nod. "I think it would be in our best interest if we tried all the different kinds, just to be sure we pick the absolute best choice," Sirius told Mr. Carroll. Mr. Carroll nodded his head and had a slight smile on his face.

He stood up from his seat. "I will just run back to the kitchen and have my assistant help me bring out all of our finest flavors." With a skip in his step, he headed back to the kitchen leaving the three of us alone to wait.

"You two need to ease up," I told them, adjusting my shirt. "You just about scared the poor man when we first met him. And is it really necessary that we try all the different kinds of cake?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at Sirius.

Sirius and James exchanged a devious smile and then looked to me. "Oh, come on, Lyls, why not?" he said, leaning back in his chair. "Isn't that part of picking out a cake? We need to try them all to know which one is the best. Live a little."

"Plus, are you trying to tell me that you couldn't go for a piece, or six pieces, of cake right now?" James asked, provoking a laugh to escape from my mouth. I couldn't lie; I had been craving frosting ever since I made the appointment to come here. There was slight thump in my belly that made me smile even more.

"Well, I know someone who's excited for some cake," I said looking down at my stomach, my hand on the spot where I could still feel the slight kicking. James and Sirius watched with rapt attention. The baby had just recently started kicking a lot and it got more and more exciting every time. I grabbed Sirius's hand, his eyes widening as I took it in mine and placed it right on the spot where there was a slight pulsing.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sirius panicked, trying to pull his hand back. I held it where it was and told him to just give it a second. Despite Sirius's reservations, he allowed his hand to remain and relaxed a bit. I pressed his hand into my stomach a little more and waited for the baby to kick again. I knew Sirius felt the strong kick that followed by the expression on his face. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped in amazement. "Bloody hell," he whispered, looking down at his hand, "That was incredible." I smiled up at him, happy that someone was able to enjoy this with me. "Oh, she did it again! It's like she's playing football in there." I couldn't help but laugh.

James, suddenly jealous that he wasn't experiencing what we were, leaned forward and pushed Sirius's hand away. "Stop hogging the baby, Sirius," he complained. If these two were fighting over the baby before she even got here, I couldn't imagine what it was going to be like when there was an actual baby to fight over.

I pointed to the spot where the baby was now kicking. He, too, looked amazed at what he was feeling. "She's got quite the leg on her," James commented. "Doesn't that hurt? I mean, it's like she's beating you up from the inside. Is she mad or something?"

"Well, she's been cooped up in there for months," Sirius explained. "I reckon she's just trying to stretch her legs out a bit. I don't blame her. It is pretty amazing though, isn't it?"

"Yeah," I agreed. "Alex about freaked when she felt her kick for the first time." I saw Sirius smile slightly when I mentioned Alexa. "You know, I think it's really great that you and Alexa can finally be somewhat friends again," I told Sirius. Sirius cleared his throat and sat up straighter, clearly a little uncomfortable with the subject. James laughed slightly and Sirius quickly sent him a look that I didn't understand. "Am I missing something?"

Sirius jumped in without missing a beat. "No, not a thing," he said hastily. "Things obviously aren't the same between Alexa and I, and we may never get back to the way we were, but I'm glad we're at least back on speaking terms." James let out a boisterous laugh this time.

"What is going on?" I demanded of the two boys.

"Absolutely nothing," Sirius insisted. "Oh, look, here comes Mr. Carroll with the cake." Looking up, Mr. Carroll was indeed coming toward us, with several assistants following after him, carrying enormous amounts of cake.

We tasted cake after cake and after a while they all just kind of blended together. However, it seemed James and Sirius had differing opinions. After finishing each piece of cake, and sometimes even mine, they swore it was better than the last. They had also dropped the tough guy routine and were now listening with great attention to Mr. Carroll about all the fabulous decorations and details that could be put on the cake. With each idea that was discussed, they got more and more ridiculous, and I'll be honest, I kind of tuned out after a while.

I finally was brought out of my stupor when someone said my name. I looked up to find James and Sirius both looking at me with delight. "So, Carroll here said that he could get us a great deal on a ten tier cake, each tier being a different kind of cake," James explained.

"And some of the decorations sound incredible," Sirius told me, sound like a salesman. "He said that he could possible get real butterflies to rest on the cake and then fly off at the exact moment you and Remus cut the cake." James and Sirius both just nodded at me with broad smiles.

"Well, guys, I was thinking about something a bit more simple," I told them honestly. Sirius's face saddened when I said this.

"Lyls, go big or go home," James simply stated.

"James, I am going to go home, but with a reasonable cake, that's not too flashy," I told him definitively. James and Sirius nodded in hesitant agreement. "I was thinking about a chocolate cake, made with that chocolate that Remus really likes and just a plain butter cream frosting. I'll leave the details to you Mr. Carroll, but I just ask that you keep it simple and elegant; no butterflies and let's keep it to three tiers."

After James finished the last couple bites of his cake and everyone else's and made sure there was not a single morsel of icing left, we bid farewell to Mr. Carroll and headed back to my house to meet up with the rest of the crew to have some dinner. When we got back home, the house was filled with the smell of something delicious. Following the smell, I found myself in the kitchen, where the rest of my family and friends were busily making food.

"And the Prodigal Daughter returns," Alexa said jokingly, as she saw James, Sirius and I enter through the swinging door. "Where the hell have you two been?" she asked, now looking at James and Sirius. "I can't imagine you being of any help at all."

"Hey, hey," James said, sounding hurt, "It was a tough job, but somebody had to do it." Alexa rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I mean we would have sent Peter to do the job, but his talents are better served elsewhere. Wormy doesn't have the attuned palate that Sirius and I have." I looked over to Peter, who was blushing furiously now, and couldn't help but smile at the slightly uncomfortable boy.

"Alright," my mother said in warning, "I want you to leave Peter alone now and let's all sit down and have a nice meal." We all gathered around the magically extended table and began to fill our plates with the meal that my mother had prepared. Remus slid into the seat next to mine and placed a kiss on my cheek.

"Hi," he said quietly to me. He took my hand in his and gave it a squeeze, which I returned with a smile. I was about to ask Remus about his day, but it would have to wait until after I got at least a little bit of food in my stomach. Even though I had had cake not that long ago, I was still so hungry. I patted Remus's knee and continued to eat, to which Remus just laughed.

"So, Lyla," my mother began, "How did it go at the bakery? Did you get everything sorted out?"

"Yes, Mama, everything is taken care of. After much debate," I said looking over to James and Sirius, "We finally decided on a general idea. I trust Mr. Carroll to make us a beautiful cake."

"Oh, I can't believe the wedding is only six weeks away," Blair gushed. She had loved every single detailed minute of planning. She was in a somewhat personal heaven, and honestly, I was grateful that she was enjoying it. She was more than happy to do most of the stuff that I didn't want to do and she did them effortlessly. It's not that I didn't care about all the intricate details of my wedding; this just wasn't my thing. I hated all of the attention on me, and unfortunately that came with getting married. When I pictured my wedding before now, I had always pictured things a very specific way but now, it all just seemed sort of trivial. All that I cared about was making sure Remus was standing by my side.

"Have you guys picked out a song to dance to for your first dance?" Blair asked, her eyes twinkling. "I've had mine picked out for ages." She snuck a look at James and blushed slightly. No doubt, in her mind, James would be dancing with her.

To my surprise, Remus spoke first, "Well, I actually have something in mind." I looked up at him and smiled curiously.

"Oh, really? What is it?" I inquired.

Remus just smirked. "You'll just have to show up to find out." I couldn't help but wonder what it was. I also couldn't believe that Remus had actually picked out the song for our first dance.

"I, too, Blair know what I will be dancing to at my wedding," Sirius said. "Assuming that that day ever comes, which is truly a tossup, but I digress. I have four words for you." Here, Sirius paused for effect as we waited to hear what followed. "Let's. Get. It. On. By the one and only, Marvin Gaye." James, Remus and Peter just started laughing as my parents shifted slightly in their seats. They had pretty much gotten used to Sirius's inappropriate comments, but they still got a little uncomfortable sometimes, not that I could blame them. "I just think it's got a great beat and is a promise of the future." Alexa covered her face and shook her head.

"What about you Alex?" James asked. "What song would you pick?"

Removing her head from her hands, Alexa gave the question a quick second of thought. "I would probably just have Rolling Stones songs play the entire reception. There would be no need for any other music," she said simply.

"Speaking of," my father said, changing the subject, "That concert is coming up, isn't it, girls?" Oh, gosh, amidst everything going on lately, I hadn't even remembered the concert. So much had happened since Blair had gotten those tickets for Alexa's birthday. Back then; we were just three carefree teenagers who would kill to go to this concert. But, now, I was pregnant and about to get married, and even though the teenager still in me wanted to go to that concert so badly, was it really feasible?

"Right you are, Daddy," Alexa said with a broad smile. In less than six weeks, the three of us will be having our faces melted off by the always-lovely Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood, and Charlie Watts. I about pee myself every time I think about it."

"Alexa Noel!" my mother scolded.

"I'm sorry, I just can't help it," Alexa said, as Blair nodded her head in agreement. "Something comes over me when I talk about them. And when we go to that concert, I don't know if I'll be able to contain myself; I can't be held responsible for my actions at this concert. Am I right, Lyls?"

I gave her a weak smile and even as the words came out of my mouth, I wish I could take them back, but I knew that they had to be said. "Well, Alex, I don't know if I should go anymore." And then I waited for the blow up that was sure to ensue.

"What are you even saying?" Alexa exclaimed.

"You can't be serious," Blair added next.

"You have to go," Alexa continued, "Blair bought you a ticket and it was always our dream to go together, you absolutely have to go!"

"I know we had planned on going together," I started, "But I don't think any of us factored me getting pregnant into the plans. I shouldn't go, the sooner I realize that I'm not going to be able to do normal stuff anymore, the better off I'll be."

Alexa rubbed her temples and let out a deep breath. "If you weren't pregnant, I would murder you," she told me. "Lyla, yes, you're going to be a mother soon, and yes, you will also me a married woman soon. Last time I checked, the baby is still safely hanging out in your stomach and you aren't married yet. Just think of it as getting a jump start on the musical education of your child."

"Alexa's right, Lyla," Remus said to me. "You should go. You can still have fun, just as long as you don't run off with anybody from the band," he joked.

"I will personally guarantee that Lyla will still be very much in love with you after this concert," Blair told Remus with a smile.

Alexa slammed her hand on the table. "Then it's settled!" she exclaimed. "The three of us are going to the concert, life is good, and everything is right with the world."

After dinner, we helped my parents clear the table and then headed off to leave my parents to their evening tea. As Alexa, Blair and the boys settled down around the coffee table to play a game of Wizard's Chess, Blair, Alexa and Peter on one team and James and Sirius on the other, Remus and I sat on the couch. Sitting on the opposite end of the couch, I plopped my feet into Remus's lap and relaxed into the couch, the pain in my back slowly melting away. Then, Remus started rubbing my feet and ankles and it just felt like bliss. There were many wonderful things about being pregnant, but the constant back pain and swollen ankles were not among them.

"How'd you feel today?" Remus asked, concern in his voice. "You still having pain in your back?"

"Yeah, but it wasn't too bad," I told him. "The baby was moving around so much that it kind of distracted me. She was kicking a lot more than usual." Remus smiled at the mention of the baby kicking and looked down at his hands as they massaged my aching bones. "And she's already got James and Sirius wrapped around her little finger." I rubbed my hands over my stomach and laughed slightly as I remembered Sirius's reaction to feeling the baby kick.

"Well, Sirius always has had a way with the ladies," Remus joked. Following a few moments of silence, Remus cleared his throat and I could tell that he wanted to ask me something. "So," he started, "We haven't really talked about it much, but what do you think about a honeymoon?"

I pushed myself up a bit more and looked down at Remus on the other end of the couch. "Don't you think that's kind of a moot point?" I asked him with a smile and pointing down to my midsection. "We pretty much took care of the main event already."

Remus laughed slightly and shrugged his shoulders. "I know we've already had our first time and all that but that's not the only point of a honeymoon," he told me. "It's about spending some time together as husband and wife and just escaping from real life for a little bit to just do nothing but be together."

I reached down and stilled, his still working hands. "That sounds wonderful and you know that I would love to do that, but the baby is coming soon and there is still so much that we need before she comes, plus we need to start thinking about a place to live once we're out of school," I said. Remus looked somewhat sad as I said this.

"I just feel bad that you're going to have to sacrifice something like this," he told me. "Lyla, I will always make sure you and the baby will always have everything you need but I also want to give you everything you want. It just kills me that I may not be able to give you this."

I let out a breath, removed my feet from his lap and slid down the couch to sit next to him. "Remus, none of that matters anymore; there are other things that are more important right now. Maybe somewhere along the line, we can have our honeymoon, but it doesn't have to happen now. I know you love me and I love you and that's all that I care about." Remus put his arm around my shoulders and rested his other hand on top of my hands that were folded across my protruding abdomen. "Sure it would be nice to go away with you, but right now, it's just not realistic, and I'm okay with it. I don't want you to worry about this, okay?"

Remus just nodded his head in agreement. "Just out of curiosity, though, if money wasn't a factor and you could go anywhere you wanted, where would you want to go?" he asked. Somehow this didn't seem like this was him letting the subject go. I raised my eyebrow at him and he laughed. "I'm just asking or future reference, no need to look at me like that."

I rolled my eyes at him and then began to think over his question. "Oh, gosh," I said, still thinking about all the beautiful places in the world that I wanted to go. "I guess, if I had to choose one place on this planet to go on a romantic getaway with you, I would have to go with somewhere in Italy. I've always wanted to go there, with all the rich history and beautiful architecture."

"Italy sounds amazing," he said. "I swear to you, right now, that before we die, I will whisk you off to Italy."

I took his hand in mine and shook it firmly. "You have a deal," I agreed.

"You are such a cheater, James Potter!" Blair suddenly exclaimed, standing up from her seat angrily.

"Blair, that's not cheating, that's called pure skill," James informed her. "Just calm down and let's finish the game."

"I don't play with cheaters," she said stubbornly, returning to her seat. Just as James was about to retort, Peter muttered something and a piece on the chessboard began to move. Then, there was a gasp that came from Sirius and a vindictive laugh that came from Blair. "And that is how it's done."

Alexa and Blair stood up and gave each other high fives as Peter smiled down at the board. "Clearly, the better team won," Alexa trash-talked. "Way to go, Peter," she said, patting the beaming boy on his back.

"How did that even happen?" Sirius asked James, who looked completely dumbfounded. "I thought we had it in the bag."

James slammed his hand down on the table. "Okay, rematch, right now!" he demanded.

Before a full on brawl could ensue, I yawned really dramatically. "Oh, man, I'm really knackered," I said loudly so they could all hear me. "I think we should all head to bed and leave the rematch for another night." James stepped away from the table and pouted. "Now, someone help me up off this couch so I don't have to roll off," I instructed. Remus and James sprung into action, each taking one of my hands and pulling me up from my seat.

We said goodnight to my parents and then the boys headed down to the basement and the three of us girls ascended the stairs to mine and Alexa's room. Once there, Blair went into the bathroom to wash her face, pulling her hair back into a loose ponytail. "Just so you know," Alexa said in a whisper as I grabbed blankets from the closet, "Blair has something planned for us tomorrow that you're going to absolutely hate."

"You sure know how to get a girl excited," I said sarcastically. "So, tell me, on a scale from one to the Apocalypse, what are we talking here?"

"I'd say it's a little better than the plague but definitely worse than the flu," she told me after giving it some thought.

"Well, that's encouraging," I fake enthusiastically spouted.

In that next moment, Blair exited the bathroom and looked at us with bright eyes. "Alright, ladies, let's get to bed now," she said, excitement dripping in her voice. "We have a busy, busy day tomorrow and we want to make sure we're well-rested." I gave Alexa a look and she just busted out laughing.

* * *

><p>"Lyla, are you ever going to come out of the bathroom?" Blair asked from the other side of the door I had locked.<p>

I admit that I was being a bit ridiculous hiding out in the bathroom, but what waited outside that door was just too scary to face. "If we're still going, then no I'm not coming out," I stubbornly called back. I heard a frustrated sigh and then more footsteps.

"Get your ass out here right now." This time it was Alexa. "We let you have ten minutes of complaining but now you need to open the door and put an annoying cheery smile on your face," she instructed. When I didn't respond, I could see Alexa's shadow from under the door come closer. "Come really close to the door," she told me. I pushed myself off the counter and pressed my ear to the door. "Okay, look, I couldn't care less if we go look at dresses today," she whispered, "But Blair is driving me crazy about this. So, for the sake of my sanity, will you please just go for a couple hours and act like you're enjoying yourself? It would make Blair very happy, therefore shutting her up about it."

Letting out a slight groan, I unlocked the door, which was followed by an excited squeal. "Oh, we are going to have such a good time, I promise," Blair gushed as she pulled me into a hug, as I stepped out into the room. I put a smile on my face and just nodded in agreement. I looked over to Alexa who had a smug smile on and she just rolled her eyes. "Let the dress hunt begin!" Alexa opened her mouth in mock excitement and just laughed at our dear friend.

Blair pushed open the door to the first shop we decided to go to and I heard a tiny bell jingle as we entered. I was suddenly surrounded by an enormous amount of white, which was a bit overwhelming. Within minutes, there was an extremely tall, thin woman before us.

Her almost white hair was pulled back into an impossibly tight bun, not a single hair out of place, which made her look a bit severe. She was wearing an all black dress that hugged her slim frame and had incredibly long nails that were pained a brilliant shade of red. In all honesty, she scared me a bit. "Well, hello there ladies," the woman stated in a highly sophisticated tone. "Welcome to Dresses by Victoria, I am Victoria Hancock." Blair was staring at Victoria in utter amazement and Alexa had her head tilted slightly, a calculating stare on her face. "Now, you must be the bride-to-be," she said, turning to Blair, " I can just see the excitement radiating out of you.

Blair laughed slightly and shook her head. "Oh, no, I'm not the one getting married," Blair explained. There was something in her voice that wished that she were the one here to pick out her wedding dress. "My friend, here, is the one who is getting married, we're just the bridesmaids."

Victoria looked over to me, her eyes going to my pregnant stomach and she frowned slightly. "Oh, I see," she said, a bit disappointed. "Well, I'm sure we'll be able to find something that will suit you and your situation," she told me, sounding less than confident. "Follow me, please."

Blair quickly took off after Victoria, to no doubt share some of her ideas. Alexa came up next to me, as we too followed and leaned in slightly. "Do you think she can smile with her face being so tight and all?" she asked, pulling her face back to tighten it, pretending to be Victoria.

I covered my mouth to hide my laughing as best I could. "If she can, I'm sure it's rather painful and she dies a little inside," I suggested. "So, you think she'll be able to find something for my situation?" I asked, patting my stomach slightly.

"Well, if she can't, that's her problem, not yours," Alexa told me, giving me an encouraging smile. When we had caught up with Blair and Victoria, she instructed me to go with her and for Alexa and Blair to have a seat on the large couch, which was also white.

I followed Victoria back to the dressing rooms and she told me to take a seat. "Now, I don't see too many cases like yours in my shop, but I'm sure we can scrounge up something," she said. Scrounge up? That sounded promising. "Now, I'm going to go back to the storeroom and pull a few pieces that I think will do and then we'll get you into them to try them on." Without another word, she turned and left me sitting there by myself in a room filled with mirrors.

Trying to avoid the number of mirrors, I looked down at my hands that were resting on my stomach, which had become somewhat of an armrest for me lately. Not seeing myself being able to fit into any of the dresses that Victoria was busy searching for, I thought of one advantage of being pregnant for my wedding day. Mum had always wanted the first one of us to get married to wear her wedding dress. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I wasn't able to fit into it by any stretch. I loved my mother and just didn't have the heart to tell her that her dress was absolutely hideous and I was so glad that I didn't have to wear it.

Not only was I pumped to not have to wear it myself, but I also got the added bonus of having Mother say that Alexa would get the distinguished honor of wearing it on her wedding day. When Alex was informed of this, she went nuts, in private of course. But even though I dodged that bullet, I still felt I was before the firing squad in this place, and there was no way I was getting out alive.

Victoria reappeared, an assistant and several large dress bags in tow. She unzipped the first bag and pulled out a flowing lace gown, that I could already tell was entirely too small. The dress was okay, but it just didn't feel like me. The top of the dress had long sleeves that came to a point at the end and came up slightly around the neck. The skirt went straight down from the waist and only flared slightly at the floor. The assistant pulled me up from my seat, helped me out of my clothes and then held my hand as I stepped into the dress while Victoria began to pull it.

Once I got my arms into the sleeves, I could already feel the material stretching against my body. I looked in the mirror and the dress just looked so awkward on my body, I also felt like I was in a straightjacket. The lace conformed to every curve that was on my body and it just begged for a slim figure to rest on. As I turned to the side so Victoria could attempt to zip the dress, I looked in the mirror again and my stomach just stood out. The dress did a fabulous job at highlighting the fact that I was pregnant, just in case anyone forgot. It looked like I was smuggling a large ball in this thing. I almost felt like laughing, I looked so comical.

After much effort and an intense fight with the stubborn zipper, Victoria stopped and turned to me. "Now, this isn't quite your size, but we can at least get some idea of what it will look like," she told me. "I think it looks… lovely," she finished. "How about we go show your friends."

When I stepped before Alexa and Blair, there was nothing but silence. I could tell by their faces that Blair was trying to think of something positive to say and Alexa was simply trying to hold back her laughter. Eventually, Alexa's laughter got the best of her. "I'm sorry," she said through her laughter, "But you kind of look ridiculous." I wasn't even bothered by what she said, she was being honest, and I happened to agree with her.

Blair turned to her on the couch and hit her lightly on the arm. "Oh, come on, Alex," she started. "She doesn't look all that bad. I think you look very nice, Lyla."

"Well, thank you for that blatant lie," I told her with a smile. "It's okay though, I don't really like it anyways."

Blair took a deep breath and laughed. "Oh, thank Merlin, because if you had actually liked this, I would have had to talk you out of this one," she said with a smile. "Can we try some that are a bit less fitted?" Blair asked Victoria, who nodded and ushered me back to the changing room.

The next dress that Victoria presented to me was even more hideous than the first. The dress was made of silk and had the ugliest silk flowers around the hem of the skirt. I didn't feel as confined in this dress as the last one but it still just didn't look right. Victoria gave me a veil to put on in the hopes that it would somehow make the dress look better, but it didn't. The veil was immense and completely consumed the upper part of my body. As we walked out to show Alexa and Blair, I could barely see and almost tripped over a stool that was against the wall. I felt absolutely foolish.

I stepped onto the slightly elevated platform and pushed the material from my face in an attempt to see their faces. "Oh, my," Blair said looking shocked. Alexa's mouth was open slightly. It must have been bad because she wasn't even laughing.

"I'm just going to go back and change," I told them before that could say anything. "I feel like the Abominable Snowman."

"Yeah, I don't even know what that was," Alexa said, shaking her head in confusion. "Third time's a charm though, right?" I rolled my eyes at her and headed back, dreading what was to come.

"You know what I think the problem is?" Victoria said. "The color. I think the white is just washing you out, so I pulled this dress and we'll see how that works." I nodded in submission, but I could probably think of another reason why she thought white wasn't working for me. When she pulled the dress out of the bag, all I could see was peach. And let me tell you, I looked like a damn peach in that dress. Not only was the dress peach but also to make it worse, it was cover in ruffles, which mad me look even bigger.

Once again on the chopping block, I looked at my friends with disdain. "Do you know how much I hate you guys right now?" I asked. They just smiled back at me. "It's a lot, just so you know."

"I'm actually quite partial to this one," Alexa said jokingly. "The ruffles just make all the difference." Oh, I was going to get them back and I was going to enjoy it. I stepped off of the platform and walked over to the couch.

"All right, now it's your turn," I told them. "You go back there, find the most hideous dresses you can find and then come show me," I instructed. Alexa went to protest but I stopped her. "You're not supposed to fight with me, remember? Besides, if you don't go back there, I have absolutely no problem hexing you in front of these muggles. Don't test me Alex." Alexa threw up her hands in surrender and walked with Blair back to where the dresses were kept.

Victoria instructed her assistant to stay with me while she took Alexa and Blair to make them 'beautiful compliments to the bride.' The kind looking girl stood awkwardly next to the couch and watched me. After giving her a smile I said, "Please, come and sit with me, you're making me nervous." She apologized several times and hurried over to sit next to me. The jumpy girl reminded me a lot of Peter, maybe a little more together. "So, what's your name?" I asked, leaning against the couch.

"Cynthia," she said quickly. "But most people call me Cindy," she added.

"Well, nice to meet you, Cindy," I told her, shaking her hand. "So, tell me, what do you really think of this dress?" I asked. I could tell that she feared her boss would hear as I saw her look to the archway that led to the back of the shop. "Don't worry, this will be our little secret."

Cindy visibly relaxed and I saw a slight smile creep across her face. "I think it is one of the ugliest dresses I have ever seen, and I've seen a lot of ugly dresses," she confessed. I started to laugh at her honesty and couldn't stop. After a while she began to laugh with me and we began to mock the ridiculousness of the dress.

"Oh," I said, still laughing a bit. "Thank you for that, I needed a good laugh." I gave her a genuine smile to express my thanks.

"I want to apologize for how awful Victoria treated you," she blurted out, a serious look back on her face. "She had no right to say those things to you. And between you and me, I think she purposefully picked those terrible dresses."

I just waved her off. "No, worries," I assured her. "I've heard much worse, believe me. Unfortunately, it just comes with the territory. I'm sure it will all be worth it in the end." I looked down at my baby bump and knew in my heart that once the baby was here and Remus and I were married, none of the hurtful things anyone said would matter. "Hey, do you want to do me a favor?" Cindy nodded enthusiastically. "Go back there, and make sure some truly revolting dresses are picked out. Then you and I will have a good laugh." Without a word of question or protest, Cindy took off to find the dresses I requested.

Minutes later, Cindy reappeared and took her place back on the couch. She gave me a knowing smile and nodded her head to the platform where Victoria was now standing. "After Cynthia so kindly passed on the vision that you had for your bridesmaids, I have put together a collection that is going to blow you away," Victoria said, great pride in her voice. "Ladies."

Blair and Alexa emerged and I couldn't have imagined anything more hilarious. My two best friends stood before me in dresses of pink and orange. From the waist up the material was pink chiffon. There were ruffles around the collar and the ruffles extended down to the navel. But the ruffles didn't stop there. The sleeves flowed down the arm and constricted the wrist with a lovely ruffled cuff.

Where the ruffles stopped, there was a golden belt that shimmered slightly. But that was nothing compared to the skirt of the dress. It was as if some paisley material had swallowed orange and pink ink and then thrown up all over itself; in other words, totally tragic. It was a little hard to look at, to be honest. If that wasn't enough, the entire outfit was pulled together nicely with a short pink veil sticking out from the top of their heads. I patted Cindy on the knee in approval as we both looked on in amusement.

What I loved best about it though, were Blair and Alexa's faces. Blair was so cute trying to act like she actually liked the train wreck that she was wearing and Alexa was throwing daggers at me with her eyes. "I just love these!" I pretended as best I could. "Alexa, you look absolutely beautiful in this. And Blair, there are no words." Neither of them said anything. "Well, done Victoria," I praised. "Please, I'd love to see more." Victoria clapped her hands excitedly and pushed Alexa and Blair to go and change as Alexa mouthed telling me to piss off.

"You've got to be kidding me!" I heard someone yell from the dressing rooms. Something told me that the next dress was going to be good. Victoria appeared once more looking pleased. "Now, this next look I went with something very sunny. I thought it was fitting for your summer wedding," Victoria said as the anticipation built. Alexa and Blair came out looking like rays of sunshine and their faces looked like storm clouds coming to rain on the disasters that they wore on their bodies.

They wore a white tunic looking dress that was trimmed in a yellow so bright, that it actually looked like sunshine had been bottled and used for the dresses. One arm was sleeveless, but an ivory cape that was tied delicately around their necks covered the other arm; the cape also trimmed with the brilliant yellow. And to finish it off, there was a dazzling yellow flower tucked behind one ear.

I brought my hand up to my mouth and faked some crying noises. "I am speechless," I said, choking back my words. I looked to Alexa and I could tell she was getting impatient and wasn't enjoying this nearly as much as I was. "You two look like angels. This just may be the dress," I told Cindy, who was trying very hard to hold her laughter in.

"That's enough!" Alexa exploded. She ripped the cape from her neck and threw it to the ground. "You've had your fun, and now it's time to go." I couldn't help but laugh at this point. Alexa turned toward the dressing rooms and pulled Blair with her.

"Oh, come on, Alex!" I yelled after her. "Lighten up a bit." As Alexa stomped off, I looked over to Victoria who looked highly confused. Cindy helped me up off the couch and walked with me over to Victoria. "This has truly been fascinating and extremely helpful," I told her. "I definitely have a better idea of what I want." More like what I didn't want. "Thank you so much for your time." As I said this, Alexa stalked past behind me heading for the door. "Nice meeting you, Cindy," I added quickly as I headed to the dressing rooms myself to remove the peach dress.

Outside of the store, Alexa was standing, her hip cocked, and her eyes narrowed. I thought she was about to tear into me, but to my surprise she just began to laugh. "I can't believe that woman!" Alexa exclaimed. "Did she really think those dresses looked good?"

"I have no idea," Blair laughed out as we started down the street. "And I know I bugged you about going to look at dresses, but I am so sorry for taking you to that place," Blair told me. "I will definitely check into the place the next time we go dress shopping." Amongst all the hoopla, I didn't even realize that I still didn't have a wedding dress and would possibly have to endure this experience all over again. "Don't get discouraged though, Lyls," she told me, giving my shoulders a squeeze. "We will find you a dress and you will look absolutely beautiful."

"And if we don't find anything," Alexa added, "We'll come back to this place and get that peach dress." I shook my head and just laughed.

In an attempt to change the subject, I shifted the discussion to Alexa. "So, Alex, Sirius said that you two were doing good; I think that's great," I told her.

Alexa looked as if she wanted to jump into the street. She quickly took a breath and gathered herself. "Um, what exactly did he say?" she asked.

"Not much, he just said that he was glad that you guys were talking again and able to be around each other without too much weirdness," I explained. "He said things still weren't the same and that they may never be, but how could they be with all that happened?"

"Yeah," she said, trailing off in thought. "Things definitely aren't how they used to be, but that's life." She shrugged her shoulders and I could tell she wasn't trying to care too much. "It's better this way, no one gets hurt." There was something in her voice that told Blair and I not to press the issue any further.

When we arrived home, the boys were all there waiting for us. It was crazy how the boys had become an extension of our family. They were truly the sons my father never had and he loved every minute he spent with them. He said that they reminded him of he and his friends when they were that age. Alexa and Blair hurried into the living room to rest their tired legs as I closed the door behind us. Before I could even make to where the rest of my friends were gathered, Remus cam over to meet me in the foyer.

He had his hands behind his back and a smile on his face as he approached me. "Hello, my dear," he said as he leaned in slightly to place a sweet kiss on my cheek. He then pulled his hands from behind his back and in one hand he held a small cluster of English Bluebells. I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face as he held the flowers out to me. "So, how was the shopping trip?"

"Terrible, but at the same time, mildly amusing," I told him as I allowed him to put his arm around me. "It was all just so hideous."

"I know I've said it before, but you will always be beautiful to me," he said, looking down at me. I gave him a smile and then rested my head on his chest.

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><p><em>Sirius's Point of View<em>

As I waited to leave for Peter's house, I stood leaning against the wall by the foyer and found myself watching Alexa as she play fought with James, who had no doubt said something completely stupid. Alex and I hadn't had one of our 'encounters' in the past couple of days and to my surprise, it didn't really bother me; which bothered me.

I was a guy who was engaged in a friends with benefits relationship with a beautiful girl; I should be pissed that I wasn't getting any, but I just wasn't. It felt weird at first to be intimate with Alexa again without being in a relationship with her, but it was just sex, and I very much enjoyed our little arrangement. It was all purely physical, no emotions involved, the truly ideal situation for us. When it came to emotions, we just didn't seem to work.

Feeling my eyes on her, Alexa turned to look at me and I of course quickly looked anywhere else. As I pretended to study a painting that was hanging on the nearby wall, I snuck a peak back at Alex and saw that she was now walking over in my direction. When she got closer, though, she kept her head straightforward and walked right past me. Before she got too far away, she grabbed my arm, jerking me along with her. She pulled me to the small bathroom on the other side of the kitchen that no one ever used.

She closed the door behind us and clicked the lock. Before I could mutter a syllable, she pushed me back against the wall and covered my lips with hers. I was shocked for a second but quickly pulled myself together, grabbing her waist and pulling her closer to me. Our lips worked effortlessly together as she skirted her tongue across my bottom lip. Just as my lips parted, she pulled back abruptly, breathing slightly heavier than before. She stepped back from me and pushed the hair out of her face.

"Well, now that that's taken care of," she said, trying to gain composure. "What the hell have you been telling Lyla about us?" she asked, her eyes worried, teetering on anger, depending on what my answer was. "When we started all this, we promised that we wouldn't tell anyone, that's the only way this is going to work."

"I didn't say anything to her," I assured her. "I just told her that we were somewhat friends." Alexa let out a sigh of relief. "Don't worry, she doesn't know anything." Alex nodded and then turned to check her appearance in the mirror. "Alex, maybe we should—"

"No, Sirius," she cut me off promptly. "We're not telling anyone and we're not talking about it." There was no room for discussion in her voice. She wanted things to stay exactly as they were and I guess I was okay with it. "Things are good, stop trying to mess them up," she told me, looking at me in the mirror. She straightened out her outfit and then turned to face me. "Have fun at Peter's and when you guys get back we'll have a little meeting." She raised her eyebrows to make sure that I got the second meaning, and I did, loud and clear. She patted me on the chest and reached for the doorknob. "Wait a few minutes before you come out." Then she was gone.

As instructed, I waited a few moments before exiting the bathroom. Back in the foyer, Remus was kissing Lyla goodbye and James was jesting with Peter by the open door. "Ah, Padfoot," James said, "We can finally leave now that you've so graciously graced us with your presence." I gave my friend a sarcastic smile and slung my bag over my shoulder effortlessly. I gave Alex a discrete nod and then filed out of the Parker house behind Peter.

Once at Peter's, we quickly headed up to Peter's small bedroom and spread out. Inside the room with the door closed, we all fell into the familiar circle and began the meeting. Remus read the oath as always and we all swore to carry on mischief in our daily lives. We had been having Marauder's meetings so often lately, that we never really had much to talk about, but we all just enjoyed the tradition and brotherhood feel of it all. Plus, it gave James an excuse to act an even bigger prat.

"So, my fellow Marauders," James began, "I've been giving some things great thought lately; and I think there are some logistical things that we need to sort out."

"James, we're not getting membership jackets," I told him shaking my head. "We've all told you that is a ridiculous idea."

James turned to me and cocked his head to the side. "That's not what I was going to say," he informed me bitterly. "But you cannot even try to tell me that it wouldn't be completely badass to have jacket with giant letters reading 'PADFOOT' across the back and a majestic dog prancing about." Remus and Peter began to laugh at the prospect. "I'm not saying it's a done deal but I'm not taking it off the table quite yet."

"Will you just get on with what you wanted to talk about?" Remus asked.

"Of course, Moony. What we need to discuss actually concerns you," James told him. "Our Moony is getting married and is going to be a father sooner than we think. We are in uncharted territories my friends. While we have had girlfriends, some of us having more than others," he added looking at me, "A wife is a completely different thing. Now I know we have the pact of secrecy concerning anything that goes on within these meetings and concerning certain pranks, but does that extend to a person's spouse?"

Even though there wasn't much that Lyla, Blair or Alexa didn't know already, there were certain things that I had never even thought to reveal to Alexa while we were dating. Some things were just better kept between friends. "Marauder secrets will forever remain Marauder secrets," Remus said, to which James looked rather pleased. "There are frankly things that I never want Lyla to know about and I don't really think keeping them from her will make a huge difference. But I will have to tell her if we ever go out marauding from now on, I can't just leave whenever I want, especially when the baby gets here."

"Which brings me to my next point," James jumped in. "How exactly will succession of Maraudership go? Will our kids just take the reigns or will we handpick a select group of individuals to succeed us? It's our seventh year gentlemen, we need to start thinking about who we are going to leave our legacy to."

"Well, I don't exactly think that any of our kids are going to be ready to take over until they are in school, so I think it would be wise to get together a group that could carry on the tradition until our offspring are ready to live up to the challenge," I stated, logically.

"I second that," Peter said quietly, giving me a nod. I almost laughed at the thought of Peter having kids. He is so nervous around adults that I couldn't even begin to imagine how he'd be with children.

"Now, putting all official Marauder's business aside for a moment," I said, clapping Wormtail on the back, "How are you feeling about the wedding and the baby, Remus? How are things going with Lyla?"

"Money is tight," he said a bit sadly. "I hate for it to be like that, but that's just how it is. A lot of things are just uncertain. We've talked to Dumbledore a bit about what will happen at school when the baby comes, but I'm just not sure how that's going to work. Then we have to think about getting a place to live eventually because I know neither of us will feel right living with our parents. I think I can be a husband to Lyla, but I have no idea how I am going to be a father to our daughter."

I looked at my best friend with great sympathy. I could tell he was really struggling with this and wished I could make everything easy for him, but all I could do was just be there for him and help with what I could. I knew Remus would do the same for me if I were in his position. Honestly, I was extremely surprised that I hadn't found myself in that position. I had always been careful, but I just couldn't believe that my playboy ways hadn't come back to bite me in the ass. I did know that I sure as hell wasn't ready for kids right now, and I don't know if I ever would be. For the longest time I didn't even know what good parents looked like, not until I met James's parents. My parents were shit, and if for some reason I inherited their parenting skills, I definitely didn't want to bring a child into that hellhole.

"I also feel like shit because I won't be able to give Lyla all the things that she wants," Remus added.

"Moony," I said, jumping in, "You know that Lyla doesn't care about all that stuff. She's not that kind of girl."

"I know," Remus agreed. "But she deserves all of it, and it's just not possible. I really feel bad because I can't take her on a honeymoon. I think she really needs to get away for a while. Even though she hasn't told me, Alexa told me that she's been stressing out a lot lately and that she hasn't been sleeping. I wish she could have some time to not worry about anything and to just have some fun."

As Remus expressed his anxieties, my head was turning about what I could do. My mind was filling with all of these wonderful ideas and I knew exactly what I had to do. Rule 112 popped into my mind as I thought. Rule 112: If one wishes to surprise another Marauder, one must spare no expense and leave no stone unturned in the execution of the surprise.

Lyla and Remus were two of my best friends and two of the nicest people you could ever meet. They deserved to be happy, and I had just made it my personal mission to make sure that happened.

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><p>Reviews? Thoughts? Ay? :)<p> 


	3. Rule 87: Marauder Gift Giving

Disclaimer: I own naught what you read.

Author's Note: Well, here is the long awaited chapter three. Sorry it has taken so long but I've been swamped with midterms and other hideous things that come along with sophomore year of college. Anyway, thanks to those who reviewed, or read, or whatever. We really appreciate it. So, now, enjoy! 

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><p><em>Rule 87: When given a gift, Marauder's are to accept said gift with a exposure of teeth and a manly embrace, whether or not the gift is outrageously terrible or not.<em>

_Alexa's Point of View_

"Now, we'll place a handful of either Jordan almonds or dinner mints into this little square, then pull the four edges together, and tie them into a bow with one of these ribbons. Then place them into the basket." Mrs. Potter explained to James and I as we nodded along and began to work. That had been hours ago, and as my ass started to grow numb from sitting on the wooden bench without moving, I sighed while placing a package of almonds into the white wicker basket at my side.

"I'm really starting to regret what I said earlier about almonds." I muttered while tying a perfect pink ribbon around a gauzy white square filled with those little decorated candy almonds that people always had waiting for them at weddings. James, who was next to me doing the same thing, only with purple ribbons and mints, huffed his agreement before tossing his pouch of mints into a pile.

Out of nowhere, a very irate looking Blair and Mrs. Potter surrounded him. "James, dear, if you are going to continue to cause a hassle with the décor then you can just go on with Sirius." His mother threatened. James looked like he was weighing his options for a moment and then shuddered. I tried and failed to raise an eyebrow while continuing to tie ribbons before James told his mother he wouldn't disfigure any more mints.

"What's so bad about going with Sirius?" I questioned as James got back to work beside me. "He's only going to cut magnolia from Mrs. Emerson's house. She seemed perfectly nice to me when I went down there to ask if she minded." I stopped tying as James burst into laughter, catching the attention of Remus and Lyla who were manually stuffing envelopes for the invitations. As much as my mother and father seemed to be getting used to the idea of the two getting married, I thought that having us do all this manual work was probably a bit of payback for getting pregnant and married at 16. Well, 17 really but no one really seems to be so caught up in that anymore.

As they took a break and came over to us, I moved the white basket full of mints and almonds to the side so my sister could sit down. While it was still sunny out, a feat for the English summer, it had cooled off some and she was wearing a very pretty pale-green sweater with a lacy camisole under it. Next to her, I felt like a slob in my ¾ length baseball shirt and cut offs. "What's so funny?" She asked while sitting down and running her hands through the packages.

Catching her eye, I sent her a small smile. She had been extremely stressed lately, with only five weeks until the wedding and still no dress, as well as getting the band together, picking out songs, making sure the cake was going to be ready, and decorating. Even though we had all been pitching in, it seemed as if we were going to be working down to the last minute. And I knew, even in the back of her mind, that she was somewhat upset over the fact that they wouldn't be getting a honeymoon, as they needed the money to eventually save towards a house and baby things.

"Well, Sirius went over to Mrs. Emerson's to cut down those branches and stuff for the church, right?" Remus said with a glint in his eyes that we only ever got to see on rare occasions. He shared a look with James, who grinned widely and as Blair joined us, Remus indulged us on why this was all so funny. "Mrs. Emerson has always been quite fond of Sirius, starting back in our fifth year when he once had to go streaking through the neighborhood."

"Oh, Merlin," I rolled my eyes, trying not to grin at the image of Sirius running starkers through the quaint little wizarding neighborhood. "What happened to cause this?"

"Marauder's secret." The two boys answered at the same time and Blair and I rolled our eyes while Lyla leant her head against Remus' shoulder with a smile on her face. "Anyway, ever since then, she's had quite the eye for our gray-eyed friend. And she uses any chance she can get to get him alone."

I felt my stomach drop somewhat and frowned to myself, trying to keep up a cool façade. No, there was absolutely no way I was going to let myself feel like I was jealous. That was just extremely stupid and would never happen. "So that's why she was so eager to have us use her trees? She knew there was a chance that Sirius would have to go over there. And he got chosen because Mrs. Potter said he wasn't pulling his weight with the guest bags?" Blair questioned with a smile and a slight laugh in her voice.

James nodded and I couldn't help the laugh that escaped my lips at the thought of Sirius' face when Mrs. Potter told him to go to the neighbor's and get the magnolia. "Bloody hell, he's going to kill all of you when he gets back." I said through my laughter and Lyla laughed before fixing a bow on James' mints he was still tying.

"Kill us? He's going to murder James for getting him in trouble in the first place!" She said and James just shrugged with that infuriatingly cute smirk on his face. How anyone could be mad at him, I'd never know. As my best guy friend, it was damn hard to do it, I'll tell you.

As we all sat, still slightly laughing at Sirius' predicament, I began to stretch my fingers and looked down at my watch to see that it was already two in the afternoon. James and I had been tying these damn party favors for over three hours without a break. "Well, I don't know about you lot, but I'm starved. When's mum getting here with the food?" I asked Lyla, who shrugged with her eyes closed, as she rested slightly against Remus.

"You feeling alright, Lyls?" Her fiancé asked and she opened her eyes blearily before pushing her bangs off her face and smiling at us. "Perfectly fine, love. I'm just a little tired. The wedding stuff has been stressing me out lately." She said nonchalantly, but I could tell by the way that Blair stiffened and Lyla avoided her gaze that something was going on. Knowing that Lyla wouldn't say anything until it was absolutely necessary, I stood up from my seat and directed my gaze towards Blair.

"Blair, will you come with me to the kitchen? I wanted to see what was for lunch and you seem to know how all the planning goes." I complimented, trying to coerce her into coming with me. Instead, she shook her head and picked at one of the mints in the pile before putting it in her mouth. If it had been anyone else, she would have ripped him or her a new one; she almost killed me earlier when I bit into an almond to see what the hype was about it.

Standing back up, she brushed her white shorts off from any dirt and tucked her pink button down back into the waistband. "I actually can't right now. Mrs. Potter needed me to check on something with the tent." And with that she was walking away, leaving James, Remus, and I to look after her with confused faces. Then, with a huff, Lyla stood from her seat and began to walk towards the table where the invitations were still lying. "Come on, Remus, we have to finish these." She muttered something under her breath before Remus began to follow her.

James and I looked at each other before I settled back into my seat. "What the hell was that all about?" James said and I shrugged, crunching down on another almond while Blair disappeared into the house. "I really have no clue, but I was serious when I said I was starving."

"Oh, I doubt that." I heard from behind us and James and I turned around, seeing Sirius standing there, his black hair mussed and his cheeks slightly flushed as he dropped an arm-full of branches onto one of the many tables set up outside. Then, with a sigh, he fell down next to me at the table and let out a staggered sigh/shudder. "I can not believe you all let me go over there! I was almost mauled to death by a 40 year old woman who is sexually unsatisfied by her prick of a husband."

Not being able to contain it, I burst into giggles as he ran a hand over his face, then reached behind me and slapped the back of James' head. "Oi, what was that for you slimy git?" James said in mock-outrage as his hand flew up to ruffle his hair back into place. "It's your own fault, you know? If you had just been a good little boy and hadn't been throwing the dinner mints," He trailed off as Sirius' eyes widened and he stood from the bench.

"Idiot! It was you that set me up; I knew it! Do you know what she did to me? That woman verbally harassed me. I thought she was just going to hex my clothes right off of me as I took those tree trimmers from the garage. And now I find out it was my best mate who set me up?" Sirius looked livid, but I could tell by the joking glint in his eyes, the one all the boys shared when they were about to pull something, that he wasn't really angry.

James jumped from his seat, taking off around the spacious back yard and Sirius took off after him, both boys forgoing their wands, even though they were both of age. Rolling my eyes, I quietly breathed a sigh of relief at the thought that Sirius wouldn't just throw his body at some random lady. Then, I berated myself by working harder at tying these stupid bows for thinking about Sirius staying monogamous. The point to this was that he and I were supposed to see other people; we were just keeping each other happy on the side.

Although, what would I do if he got a girlfriend first? Shaking my head clear of those thoughts, I looked up as there was a crash and Lyla and Remus began to laugh their faces off. Walking over to get a closer look, I couldn't help but laugh as well as Sirius sat on top of James, and James struggled to overcome the taller boy. "Say it, or I'll take you over there myself and tell her you'd like to take my place in her offers."

"I'll never say it!" James struggled while his eyes widened in horror as Sirius shook his head as if he was physically pained.

"Then this is just how it has to be." He said before pulling his wand out to put a hex on James, I'm sure. However, I never got to find out what James was supposed to say or what Sirius was going to do because just as our laughter had reached it's height, James and Sirius flew apart as Blair seethed slightly from the porch.

"Why aren't you all working?" She asked in a quietly pleasant voice, but I could hear the tone of danger in it as her eyes flashed. She was seriously pissed off at us. That much was obvious. I saw Lyla cross her arms over her chest, resting them slightly on her stomach before answering our best friend as James and Sirius spluttered away from where they were being held in the air.

"We were taking a break, Blair. Something I'm sure would do you some good as you're acting like a crazy person." She said while taking a step forward towards Blair.

Blair laughed while rolling her eyes. "Well, someone has to do the work because it's clear that no one else is going to get anything done. You should be thankful, Lyla, I'm doing all the work for _your_ wedding." She crossed her arms as well, while Lyla let out a short, humorless laugh.

"You're doing the work because you basically just _took over_, Blair. This is _my wedding_, not yours!" Lyla said as her voice became louder and my two best friends began to let loose whatever they had been holding in. Remus and I looked at each other, not knowing what to do as James and Sirius dropped to the ground when Blair became too distracted to hold her wand steady. I was surprised that she had even used it. Since turning 17 at the beginning of the summer, she had only used magic a handful of time.

"A wedding where nothing would get done if it weren't for me planning everything! You weren't even going to look for a dress if I hadn't pushed you to do it. And nothing would even be done if it weren't for me telling you what to do. Weddings don't just plan themselves, Lyla!" Blair fired back and I watched as Lyla threw her hands in the air in frustration.

"I'm pregnant, not stupid, Blair. I know they don't plan themselves. And look where you pushing me has gotten us. I still have no dress and you adding all this pressure on me to pick things that I don't even really care about isn't helping me relieve the pressure. There are other things more important to me right now than planning a wedding! Remus and I didn't even want something big, but this is turning into a huge production." Lyla ranted while beginning to pace back and forth, and James and Sirius directed their attention to Remus, who stood shocked as Lyla continued to speak.

"You know what, Blair, I think you're just jealous that this isn't your wedding. Half of these ideas are yours. I wasn't even going to have invitations. Everyone I want to come is right here. A caterer is just stupid because we can make the food ourselves. You're making me waste money I don't have on things I don't want." Lyla said as she breathed heavily. Blair looked shocked before she dropped her ever-present clipboard on the grass and put her hands to her hips.

"Fine, Lyla. If you don't want my help, or the caterer, or the church, or the invitations, or the fucking wedding then don't have it! I don't care anymore. I was just trying to help because if I don't make the decisions then who will? Because it sure as hell hasn't been you." Turning around and stalking off, she disapparated with a pop once reaching the porch and we sat in silence as Lyla sagged slightly onto the bench as her heavy breathing evened back out.

Seeing her sit, I launched into action, hustling over to sit down next to her and putting my arm around my older sister as tears filled her eyes and she struggled against letting them fall. "Hey, she didn't mean it, Lyls. Everything's going to be okay. You're just under more pressure right now than we know what to do with." I tried to sooth her, but she shook her head and looked to Remus who stood next to her, still slightly stunned.

"Remus, I love you and I still want to marry you. I wasn't saying that," She started to cry and Remus ran a hand through his hair while smiling softly at the mother of his child and sitting down next to her. As she fell into his arms and he told her it was going to be okay, I stood from the bench and looked towards Sirius and James before tilting my head back to the house where we could give the couple some privacy to talk.

Once we were safely inside the kitchen, Sirius opened his mouth and asked the question that was on everyone's mind. "What in the bloody hell was that?" I shrugged my shoulders and looked out the window at Lyla and Remus who looked like they were deep in conversation. It also didn't look like it was the best conversation to be having at the current moment.

"Where do you think Blair went?" James asked from his seat on the bar and I turned my attention to the two boys who were looking at me like I held all the answers to their questions. "I don't really have any clue, James. I guess she went home, but as she's been frequenting between my house and yours, I really don't know where she would have gone."

I was a little worried that Blair had left like that. I knew that my sister and she had not seen eye to eye on everything that was going on with the wedding, but it wasn't like Blair to just run off during a conflict; that was more my thing. Blair had always been the girl that would say her piece and then everything would be fine again. This time, however, it seemed like the tension had been too much and seeing as it was Lyla's wedding planning we were doing, Blair had left instead.

"You don't think she would just be hiding out upstairs do you?" Sirius asked with a raised eyebrow and I stopped to think about this for a moment. Turning to look at James, who had a contemplative look on his face, I put my hands to my hips and then nodded at him.

"Well, she's your girlfriend, Potter. Are you going to go see if she's lurking around upstairs?" I asked with what I hoped was my most stern voice. James just nodded his head and pointed back at me.

"She's your best friend! You go check." He fired back and I faltered slightly. I didn't want to face her wrath if she was in a strop but I also didn't want to get between anything that was going on between Lyla and her, either. "She didn't look to be in the best mood." James mumbled and I tried hard not to roll my eyes. Tugging my t-shirt down and pushing my bangs out of my eyes, I straightened myself up and tried to look confident.

"I'll go. But I swear to Merlin if either of you hear me scream and don't come to my defense, I'll castrate you in your sleep. Are we clear?" I said threateningly. James rolled his eyes but shook his head yes, and Sirius barely glanced at me from his position by the slightly open door, as if he was listening to the conversation outside.

Feeling my gaze on him, he turned his eyes towards me and grinned wickedly. "Animagus." He said as if that explained everything. And it probably would have if he would freaking tell me what kind of animagus he was.

"Not that I would know." I muttered before turning from the kitchen and beginning to make my way up the staircase. Stopping at the landing, I looked down the hallway on both sides and tried to decide what room she could possibly be in. Skipping over the room at the end, Sirius', I looked towards the middle and counted down three. James' room was my first bet, so I made my way towards the door and knocked slightly. "Blair?" I questioned. There was no answer, so I opened the door, holding my breath.

Empty. Sighing, I shut the door to the extremely messy room back and then crossed my arms while leaning up against the wall. Trying to think of the room where she 'stayed,' not that she ever slept in that bed when James was right down the hall, I tracked my way down the hallway and pushed on her door. The bed was impeccably made, the yellow paint making the room just like sunshine and reminding me of Blair, and some of her perfume bottles were lining the dresser that I'm sure contained some of her clothes. There was not, however, a girl in the room beside myself.

Trying to rack my brain for places she could have gone if she wasn't hiding in the Potter's house, I sighed and sat down on the bed. It wasn't that Blair didn't have a home to go to, but it wasn't the most ideal place for her to live either. Born into a muggle family, Blair was semi-out casted from her home life; not because her parents didn't love her, but because she missed out on over half the year of their lives. Instead of going home for breaks, she stayed with Lyla and I. And usually, she chose our bustling house over that of her own home, where she was an only child to parents who thought they were younger than they really were.

I was about to get James to side-along apparate me over there when I heard the telltale sounds of crying from the open bathroom door. "Blair?" I questioned while walking over towards the door and seeing that it was a conjoining bathroom with the other room. Walking through the bathroom, I knocked on the door before opening it and walking into the greenest room I had ever seen. There, sitting on the middle of a forest green bed, was Blair.

Her mascara ran slightly, darkening the skin under her eyes and her hair was pulled off her face in a low ponytail. I could tell she had been crying when her blood shot, chocolate brown eyes met my green irises. "What's wrong, love?" I asked in a quiet voice while I went to sit next to her on the canopy bed.

Sniffling, Blair ran her fingers under her eyes before wiping them on her blue-jean capris. "It's nothing, really." She said while trying for a smile, but from the saddened look in her eyes, I knew better than to think she was okay. Giving her a look, she looked away before speaking again. This time, I could hear the tears in her voice. "It's selfish, I know, but I just feel like Lyla gets everything."

"How so?" I asked while trying to comprehend what was going on here. Yes, I loved my sister to death and she was easy to be jealous of, but she was seventeen, unwed, and pregnant. Somehow, that didn't seem like getting everything to me.

"I know what you're thinking. And it's stupid of me to be jealous, but Lyla's getting a wedding that she doesn't even appreciate. She gets to marry her dream guy and have a happy family and what do I get?" She asked and I scrunched my face up some while trying to think.

"You have James, Blair, who loves you and you've got friends and family who love you." I reasoned with her but she just shook her head at me.

Pulling her legs up under her, she smiled sadly at me while wiping her eyes again. "Friends, sure, I've got plenty of them. But James and I, who knows if we'll last forever,? He's only seventeen, Alexa; he doesn't know what he wants. But I do know. I know that I want to get married as soon as I get done with Hogwarts, and I want lots of little kids, and a huge family. It scares him." She said in a quiet voice and I tried to contain my shock at what she was saying.

Who the fuck knew what they wanted when they were still in school? I had no clue that I was going to end up with, if I even got married in the near future. I wanted a long, happy life of debauchery before even thinking of popping out a child. It was in that way that I didn't envy my sister. It seemed that Blair, on the other hand, wanted all these things sooner, rather than later. And now, she was sitting back and watching Lyla get what she wanted; her happy ending.

"You don't know that, Blair. James may decide that he wants to get married to you tomorrow, but you thinking like this isn't going to get you all anywhere." I told her, putting my arm around my best friend and giving her a hug. She sniffled again before trying to hold back tears.

"How did you know?" She questioned me. Giving her a look, she took a breath before expanding on her very broad inquiry. "How did you know when it was time to let go? Of Sirius, I mean." She elaborated and I felt my heart stutter for a second. She had no clue how untrue that question really was. Calming myself down, I took a breath before I answered her.

"For us, it was really easy when I knew it was over. I didn't trust him anymore and we were both sneaking around, going behind each other's backs; and as much as I dislike her, I don't really blame Laura, or Bree, or whoever the hell she was, because she made me see that maybe we just didn't work as a couple if we were that easily broken." I cleared my throat as my thoughts fell back on last school year, and I marveled slightly that so much had happened in so little time. "But I do know that it isn't time for you and James to be over. And if this wedding has him spooked, or your crazy party planning, or you being jealous of Lyla is causing you to have problems, then you need to take a step back and figure it out. Fighting with Lyla isn't going to help though."

She nodded at me and then wiped under her eyes one last time. Sighing, she got up and went into the bathroom where the sink turned on and then off, and when she walked out, all traces of running mascara were gone and save for the puffiness of her eyes, you'd never know she'd been crying. "I'm just going to hide out up here for awhile longer; I need to take a step back from party planning and everything for a bit."

Giving her one last hug, I sent a small wave towards her before opening the door and heading back towards the kitchen. Once I had reached it, I directed my attention towards James, who was eating a sandwich and perusing through a Quidditch magazine. "Uh, James, where has everyone gone?" I asked as I took a seat beside him. Lowering his magazine, James looked around and shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, you've been up there for quite a time, Al. Your mother came and took Lyla home to look at some catalogue or another, Remus and Sirius went to Pete's house to save him from his dear Grandmother, and I suppose Blair is upstairs still." Turning his eyes back to his reading material, he began to move his eyes back and forth over the page while I looked at him in disbelief.

"You are truly an outstanding individual, James Potter." I said while snagging a bite of his sandwich. How one person could be so nonchalant about everything and not phased at all by what had just happened today was beyond me. Rolling my eyes, I snagged the magazine from his hand and tossed it on the counter, ignoring his outcry. "Shove it. Now, listen here; you are going to go upstairs to the hideously Slytherin room that resides in this house and console your girlfriend. She needs you right now and unless you want me to expose very embarrassing material about you to the world, you will do as I say." I threatened.

James, knowing I had nothing incriminating on him at this time, rolled his eyes but got up anyway and began to exit the kitchen. "Crazy wench," He muttered before leaving me in the kitchen alone. Smiling, I pulled the magazine and his plate towards me, and then finished his sandwich while looking at the new Chaser of the Hollyhead Harpies.

"Took you long enough to get here." Sirius said as he held the door to his room open for me. I rolled my eyes before shrugging my jean jacket off and throwing it towards the chair sitting in the corner of the room. Bouncing on his bed as I crossed my legs, I turned towards him while trying my best to raise an eyebrow. He laughed at my fail before coming to lie next to where he was facing me as I continued to sit cross-legged.

What was weird about this whole thing was that even though I had come here for one thing and one thing only, I knew we were going to have a chat before doing so. Which both made my heart drop and stutter at the same time? Friends had chats all the time, but when you added sex into the mix, it was looking a lot like a relationship by the minute. As much as I loathed admitting that I liked the idea and I liked being in a relationship with him, it had nearly destroyed me last time. I couldn't let that happen again.

Deciding we couldn't talk or discuss anything, I crawled over to him before straddling his hips and putting my hands on either side of his chest so I could hold myself as I leaned over him. "Are you really going to reprimand me for being late?" I asked innocently while biting my lower lip and he acted like he was thinking about it while I continued. "I mean, the Potter's are out, Blair is gone, we have this big bed all to ourselves," Trailing off, I smiled as he reached his hands up to slide from my waist to my hips.

"Oh, I don't know, Alex. You were really late." He sat up, keeping me steady, and before he could get the upper hand, I set my lips to work and began to kiss his throat, under his ear, and along his jaw line. It seemed, however, that nothing was going to deter him from his current train of thought. "What was up with Lyla and Blair today, anyway? Lyla left almost in tears, Blair was holed up in James' room for like three hours, and Remus looked fit for murder when we left Peter's earlier."

I hm'ed, trying to get him to focus on something else as I tugged his shirt over his head, but the damn kid would not shut up. "And I don't see why they were fighting over this wedding anyway? I understand that it's Lyla's wedding, but Blair is planning everything so they don't have to hire a wedding planner. But I get that they could save money without the fancy caterer," He trailed off as I pushed him roughly back onto his back.

"Will you shut up?" I asked while pulling my own shirt over my head. He closed his mouth for a moment and I was finally satisfied as he reached up to kiss me, and tangled his fingers in my hair. However, just when I thought we were going to get back to business, he pulled back and opened his mouth again.

"Don't you think Lyla and Blair should apologize to each other? Personally, I think it's Lyla in the wrong because she was the one that wanted to get married but now she's all skittish and stressed and Blair is just trying to help out." Letting out a huff of frustration, I rolled off of Sirius and jumped off the bed, grabbing my shirt as I did so. "Where are you going?" He asked confused while sitting up and raising an eyebrow.

Shrugging my arms back into my sleeves, I righted it before grabbing my jacket off the chair. "Home. If you're just going to sit there and talk incessantly, I'm going to call it an early night, shower, and go to bed." I said while I pulled my hair out from under the collar of my jacket and pulled it over my shoulders. Swinging his legs off the bed, Sirius came over to me and put his arms around my waist while turning me to face him.

"I'm done talking." He said before reaching down to kiss me. I moved my head to the side just as he was about to reach my lips and he pulled back, looking down at me in confusion. "What is it now?" He asked as his good mood began to quickly dissolve.

"You insulted my sister, Sirius, and no matter my opinion on the matter, that kind of pisses me off." I told him while he dropped his arms and took a step back. Merlin, I couldn't believe we were about to do this. "I'm going home now before we start to fight over something stupid."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." He said while slipping his shirt back on and opening the door for me. I felt my jaw drop slightly when I realized he was basically throwing me out, even though I did say that I was going to leave just a few moments before. "I'm not going to start something I know I can't win." He muttered under his breath and I clamped my jaw shut again while standing with my hands on my hips.

"Oh, suck it up," I said while passing by him, my good mood completely gone now as I just wanted to go back to bed. He followed me down the stairs to where I opened the Potter's front door, surprised slightly to see James reaching to open it. Ignoring him, I turned over my shoulder, as I walked down the front steps. "Well, bye!" I shouted and Sirius rolled his eyes before yelling back and equally pissed off reply. "See ya later." He said with so much sarcasm in his voice it sounded like he was slurring.

Turning away from the Potter's, I made my way towards the curb and stuck my wand out with my right hand for the Knight Bus to take me back to my house. From behind me I heard the door to the house shut and I crossed my arms while taking the stairs and paying my fare to get back to my house. Boys were just so thick sometimes.

* * *

><p>"Well, this is fucking awkward." James stated as we all sat in the little Muggle café just outside of the busiest shopping centers in London the next day after the huge blowout between Lyla and Blair. It seemed as if not only had there been a rumble between Sirius and I, but also between Sirius and Remus as well. The only people in the group that weren't mad at someone else was James, who was sitting between Blair and I with a bored look on his face, and Peter, who was sat across from Lyla and looked like he'd rather be anywhere other than here.<p>

"Thank you, James, for that very astute revelation." Lyla said with a roll of her eyes as she placed the menu she was holding in front of her down on the plate that rested on the table. We hadn't ordered yet and were all sitting around the table waiting in a relative silence before James had spoken up.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Blair stiffen and glare across the table at Lyla. "Don't be rude to James, Lyla." She snapped at her and I felt my hands clench, as I knew the battle was about to ensue.

"Don't tell me what to do, Blair." Lyla said back just as quickly and suddenly the two were glaring at each other from across the table. Putting my head in my hand and leaning with my elbow on the table, I scanned the occupants of the café to see if they noticed that everyone was getting their knickers in a wad over where we were placed. It looked relatively calm so I decided to voice my opinion on the matter before anything else went down.

"As Maid of Honor, I think we should all just calm down and eat a good meal before we go shopping for dresses and the boys leave us to go to the tux shop. Who's with me?" I tried to sound bright and cheery but all I got in return were two steel glares from my sister and Blair, and a small pat on the shoulder from James.

I wished I hadn't said anything as Blair turned her gaze to me with a sharp look in her eye. "I don't think it's time for your opinion now, Alexa, since as Maid of Honor you haven't really stepped up to do anything yet, have you?" She asked with acid basically dripping off of her tongue and I tried not to feel the sting of her glare and her words as I turned to look at my silverware that was still folded up on my plate. Biting down on my lip, I tried not to let the harsh words on the tip of my tongue loose knowing that if I was to resolve this issue between my friends I had to be calm, cool, and collected.

"We're all doing as much as we can here, Blair. So if you would please just calm down," Remus started in his most logical voice and Blair rolled her eyes at him before crossing her arms over her chest when she finished throwing her menu to the table. Merlin, where the hell were the waitresses when you needed someone to break up the tension in the room?

"Oh, whatever, Remus." Sirius said while flicking his hair out of his eyes with a twist of his head. "Everyone needs to give Blair a fucking break. She's not the only one acting tetchy here." He cast a pointed look at Lyla, who dropped her jaw and then clenched it quickly and Remus puffed up his chest as if he and Sirius were going to take this outside. From beside me, I heard James make a noise in the back of his throat and everyone looked up as a pretty waitress with brunette curls and hazel eyes descended upon the table.

"Hi there! What can I help you all with today?" She said in a peppy voice that was full of charm. On any other day, I would have been thankful to have such a great person wait on us; today, however, was not her lucky day.

Smiling fakely at the waitress, Lyla looked up at her and asked in a sugary sweet voice, "What's the best thing on the menu for an uptight friend with a jealous streak?" She then turned to Blair and smirked as the waitress looked taken aback for a moment.

"Actually, I'd like to know what your specials are for ungrateful little bints that use their so-called best friend to take on all the responsibilities of a wedding and then never say thank you?" With her own smirk, Blair and Lyla faced off again as Sirius and Remus started to bicker back and forth with each other. While Blair and Lyla began to raise their voices at each other, James tried to calmly tell everyone that this was totally embarrassing, and Peter cowered in fear for his life (not that I blame him), I turned to the waitress and tried to offer her an apology but she was too busy watching the scene with wide eyes to notice anything was going on.

Finally fed up and starving, I stood from my chair, which made a rather loud noise and brought almost everyone's attention to our table, including those that weren't even in on the conversation. "Stop it!" I yelled in the most stern, high-pitched voice I could gather within me. Slowly, I felt six pairs of eyes land on me as my friends pulled themselves from their arguments. "You all need to get off your high horse and realize that the world doesn't revolve around you. Blair, we're all thankful for what you've done, even if we're not constantly singing your praise. Lyla, I understand that this is your wedding, as does Blair, and we're all just trying to help you out even if you find it overbearing at time.

"Remus, I'm sorry for whatever has happened that has made you pissed off, but I'm sure it's nothing that can't be fixed with an apology and maybe a hug. Sirius, I'm sorry we had a feud but it's just what happens. Also, whatever happened between you and Remus, get over it. You're both best friends and everyone is running on high tensions lately. James and Peter," I turned towards them, and then paused. "Well, I guess just thanks for being here."

As everyone sat, silent, and watched me as I stood there, I suddenly realized that I had just shouted all of this in front of the whole restaurant. "Are we ready to order now?" I heard our waitress ask. Looking around, I sighed and pushed my hair out of my face, knowing that with the wind it was going to be a long day for appearances and an even longer day for shopping.

"I'm not hungry." I said while sliding from my spot at the table and making my way out of the café. As I leaned against the brick wall outside and watched as people walked by, I put my arms around myself and pulled my long-sleeves down more. I wasn't sure what was causing the bad weather as of late, but I hoped that it, as well as the bad moods everyone was in, would dissipate by the time the wedding rolled around. Suddenly, there was movement next to me.

Looking over, I saw that Lyla and Blair were standing next to me, each with small, sheepish smiles on their faces. "I'm sorry I put you in the middle of all of this, Al. I'm just really stressed out from the baby and the wedding and life in general that I forgot to take a step back and just realize how great all of this is."

"Yeah, and I'm sorry that I called you a bad Maid of Honor. You've done just as much as the rest of us have on this wedding." Blair said and I sighed, then smiled and opened my arms as we all hugged it out. I heard the bell on the door tinkle as the boys joined us outside. With a sheepish shrug, Sirius joined in on our hugs, placing a brotherly kiss on Lyla's head as he apologized.

"One could say we've been banned from that restaurant." He said with a smirk and I rolled my eyes at him before smiling slightly as he raised his eyebrow at me in question. With that brief exchange of non-words, our little group of friends began to make our way down the street in search of the dress shop that Blair and I had researched a few days after the first dress fiasco. The tux shop was right next to the dress shop and we had quite a ways to walk before we'd make it there.

As Blair and James led the way, James' arm wrapped around Blair's shoulder as her own arm was wrapped around his waist, all former tension was forgotten while Lyla and Remus held hands and talked loud enough about the wedding and the baby things they'd bought the other day with Blair who was talking over her shoulder towards them. Feeling someone fall into step beside me, I looked over and up, assuming it was Sirius but smiled slightly when I saw Peter standing on my left.

"What's doing, Peter? You're pretty quiet today." I mused and he let out a slight squeak at my direct question. Seriously, this kid was more jumpy than a dementor at Disney Land. I was about to state this when I felt an arm wrap around me from my right and turned to look at Sirius, who was smirking down at me and letting his fingers play in my low side ponytail. "Sirius." I said with a bored tone in my voice and he looked put out for a moment before he went on talking while Peter watched us.

"Well, seeing as we are the Best Man and Maid of Honor for this little shindig, I was thinking we should get together later this afternoon and possibly work on Lyla and Remus' wedding gift and their bachelor and bachelorette parties?" He sent Peter a wink over my shoulder before bending down slightly to speak in my ear. "I was also hoping you'd help me christen my new house seeing as we didn't really get a chance to talk yesterday." I felt myself blush at his language and was about to answer his inquiry when Blair cleared her throat.

Looking up and away from Sirius, who was still resting his arm around my shoulder and comfortably smirking to himself, I caught Blair's eyes before laughing in what I hoped was a normal way before elbowing Sirius rather harshly in the ribs. He lost his breath and raised an eyebrow while wrapping his arms around his middle. "Jesus, Black," I said in a playful way while rolling my eyes for our audience.

"Mhmm." Blair and Lyla said in unison while I smiled at them. James smirked at me and I turned to my only friends left, Peter and Remus. Peter was smirking at me as well, which in and of itself was weird, and Remus just shook his head with a smile on his face. "Well, I think this is where we separate. We'll meet back outside in a few hours, alright?" Lyla asked them and they all groaned but agreed.

"Think about it." Sirius said as he passed me and I sent him an evil glare, which he didn't see because he was already walking into the shop. Crossing my arms over my chest, I sighed as Lyla took one arm and Blair the other while dragging me into the dress shop. "We will be talking about this." Blair said while the Matron of the store smiled at us happily.

"Hello! You must be the Parkers." The woman said. Unlike the last person we met, this lady zeroed in on Lyla, her wedding band, and her protruding stomach. "Bride. I'm Jennifer Brand, owner of this fine boutique." She said with a wide smile before swooping in and grabbing Lyla's arm while pulling her off to the side. The woman, whose graying hair was pulled back off of her face with a bone-clip, looked just like someone who would shuffle you to a table and make you eat a nice big home cooked meal. Instantly, I saw Lyla warm up to the woman and start talking about Baby Lyla and when she was due.

Blair and I set to work on pulling dresses while the lady took Lyla into the back to look at some of the gowns for the bride. Pulling out a hideously bright yellow dress, I held it to myself with a smile and blinked my eyes a few times. "What do you think? Wouldn't I look scrumptious as a banana?" I asked Blair who just rolled her eyes while laughing at me and then pulled a maroon tube dress that had a large sash around the midsection.

"Well, if I was going for the look of slaggy whore then this would be perfect." She giggled out and we made faces at each other before a cough from the front of the store startled us and we guiltily put the dresses back on the designated rack. Standing on the small raised platform in front of about a thousand mirrors was the woman from before. "Sorry." Blair said sheepishly and with another wide smile, the woman hustled us over to stand by the mirrors.

"Not to worry dears; those were picked by my loving, but essentially colorblind, daughter. I think we could find you both something much more fitting, but first let's take a look at the bride, shall we?" I nodded eagerly and took a seat on the couch that was provided while Mrs. Brand called for Lyla to come out.

Looking beautiful as always, but slightly uncomfortable, Lyla came out into the room and I smiled at her. The woman had taken her hair out of its clip and it was now falling in slight waves over her shoulders where it had grown out. She cautiously swept part of it behind her ear before smoothing the sides of the A-line dress out. The simple, white dress was really pretty; it slid seamlessly over her protruding stomach while billowing slightly with some ruffles at the bottom and the lace ¾ length sleeves were dainty and sweet. It wasn't, however, the dress I would picture Lyla in for her wedding.

"You look really beautiful, Lyls." I said encouragingly. These dresses weren't insane, so I would feel bad if I said something to offend her and she really had liked the dress; unlike the last time we went shopping and the dresses were just hilarious. Lyla turned to look at herself in the mirror, giving us a view of the back of the dress, which zipped up and was clipped back to fit her correctly.

Picking at the sleeves, Lyla turned back to us and smiled slightly. "I just don't think this one is it. I'm not really feeling like a bride." She sighed sadly and Mrs. Brand immediately swooped in to help her down from the platform. "Not to worry, love, there are plenty more where that came from. Be back in a tic." She said before shuffling Lyla away and leaving Blair and I to sit and relax as Lyla continued to change into dresses.

A few moments later, Lyla came out with a dress that was once again, not the one. As we reached an hour of looking, and about 5 dresses later, she was beginning to get frustrated. It was then that Mrs. Brand called me back to the dressing room while she and Blair went in search of the Grecian Style bridesmaid dresses that Lyla had said she wanted.

"You clothed in there, Lyls? I don't want to pop in and see something I shouldn't have seen." I called while knocking shortly on the door. Laughing faintly, the door twisted open and I came in to see Lyla standing in the middle of the room in a cream colored wedding gown that was way too big. "Well there's the problem. It looks big enough to fit Sluggy!" I said jovially, trying to get a smile from my sister.

"Maybe so. I don't know, Alex. I thought maybe it was the color; like I shouldn't be wearing white because I'm already pregnant." She explained at my confused look. I went to respond and tell her she was stupid but she cut across me. "Maybe it's just that I'm not supposed to wear some fancy dress. Is this punishment from karma for going about this all ass backwards? Child first, then marriage?" She asked me while frantically beginning to twirl her hair around her finger.

Sitting her down on the chaise that was in the room, I extracted her finger and held her hand while squeezing. "Listen to me, Lyla Parker. Karma is not punishing you. You will find the dress you want, you will wear white, and you will be the happiest, prettiest bride in all of London. Because you deserve that." I told her and she nodded her head.

"But if I deserve it, why can't I find it?" She asked me and I thought about it for a moment before I found something to say.

"Because none of these are the perfect one. When you try it on, you'll know for sure. And until then, you just have to buck up and deal with the knock-offs. It will all pay off in the end. Just think of what dress you want to be wearing when Remus rips it off of you later." I gave her a wink and she laughed while swatting at me. Jumping back, I stepped out of the dressing room as she got up to close the door.

A few minutes later, she came out wearing her street clothes and rested a hand on her stomach while looping her arm through mine and walking with me back to the front of the store where Blair was shopping with the matron of the place. Seeing her arms full with colors, I raised my eyebrows at the numerous dresses they were both holding.

"You don't think she's really going to make you try all of those on, do you?" Lyla asked me in a slightly horrified voice. "I mean, I know I said Grecian, but the one that Blair is holding now has a bow on it; a bow, Alexa." She sounded slightly horrified and I tried to hide my own grimace as the two turned to us and smiled widely.

"Not all of these are ours." Blair said while holding the dress with a nice, hideous bow on it out to Lyla. "We figured if we have to try on some dresses for the wedding, we want you trying on bridesmaid dresses as well. I mean, one day you'll be wearing them at our weddings, right?"

At this, Lyla smiled and took the proffered dress, even though we all knew she'd hate actually wearing that. "And who will you be standing next to at this wedding of yours, Blair?" I asked cheekily as she shoved a mountain of tulle into my arms. I tried not to get a mouthful of the stuff as we walked back to the changing rooms Mrs. Brand shoved us towards.

"Someone perfect." She answered back just as cheekily but I saw her cheeks burn slightly. "Who's standing next to you at yours?" She questioned me and I pretended to think about it before smiling widely at them.

"Why, Rhett Butler, of course." I said in my best Southern Belle accent as I referenced one of my favorite books. They rolled their eyes and as I slipped into the changing room and grabbed at one of the dresses, I tried to keep the flash of ebony and grey out of my mind's eye. Prick.

A few wardrobe changes later, Blair and I stood side by side in the mirrors that lined the viewing area and looked at the most comfortable, flattering dress I had ever worn. They were the same color now, although I knew Lyla wanted us in two different colors, but that could be easily changed with a bit of magic. I turned to Blair, who I could see felt the same way as she ran her hands daintily along the straps.

The dress was Grecian, to Lyla's specifications, and featured draping material along the bodice and skirt before it was wrapped just under the bust by two subtly sparkling bands which rose over our shoulders and made an 'x' in the back. "These are so perfect." I said as I slid my hands along the material with a longing look in the mirror. Blair and I had pulled our hair off of our faces into high ponytails as we had gotten changed so our long locks wouldn't get in the way and we shared a look in the mirror.

"Those are it." Lyla said in a slightly choked voice while smiling happily at us in the mirror. With a squeal, she launched herself at us and we all embraced in a happy, bouncy hug. "You're getting married." I said as if it was new news and our shrieking continued as Mrs. Brand clapped her hands happily.

Later after we had had our measurements taken so the dresses could be fitted correctly, we exited the store with one last goodbye at the matron and headed towards the ice cream shop across the street. As we all talked happily and entered the shop, I smiled to myself as I saw the boys sitting at a booth near the back, our ice creams already seated for us. Things were definitely starting to look up.

* * *

><p>"It's so weird to think that you're going to be living here." I said as I trailed my hands along the fully furnished, two bedroom flat that Sirius was signing the papers on. He stood at the kitchen counter, chewing on his bottom lip as he read over the contract that the realtor had left for him. The keys were sitting next to him, along with a list of recommended wards to put over the flat, and he was to drop off the contract the next morning when he was finished.<p>

Seeing his slightly worried look, I made my way into the kitchen, sliding on the hardwood in my socks and skidding to a stop behind him. Even my clumsiness couldn't pull him from his stupor and I slid my arms around his waist while putting my forehead on the back of his t-shirt and taking a deep breath. As his cologne filled my senses, he heaved a sigh and then I felt his arm move as he signed the paper with a flourish.

"Well, this flat is now officially bought and paid for." He said with a hint of glee in his voice. Letting go and stepping back, I smiled broadly at him while he turned around, feeling some excitement in my own mood. "I feel considerably lighter." He commented and I laughed while wrapping my hands around his neck and tilting my head up to meet his eyes. In return, his arms came around me and we stood in the kitchen like a happy little couple.

"Considering what you paid to actually buy the flat, I wouldn't doubt if your pockets were feeling a bit lighter." He rolled his eyes at me before tilting his head down and capturing my lips in a slow kiss. When we broke apart, he sent me a wink before extracting himself from my hold and beginning to walk around the apartment. Running my hand through my hair, I leaned against the floating island in the kitchen and watched, as he looked at all the different gadgets.

Because the realtor had absolutely loved James and Sirius, thinking they were obviously much older than they really were, she had finagled him a deal to get the apartment furnished, meaning towels and kitchen tools as well as furniture and a muggle television. The furniture was a dark leather sectioned couch as well as some tasteful lamps and side tables, and it looked a little more homey than I had always imagined Sirius' bachelor pad.

"It's really something, isn't it?" He said as he came back from down the hallway where he had checked out the master bedroom and the guest room. "It needs some personal touches, but I'm sure Lyla will be able to fix that up." I felt my brow furrow. Why would Lyla be decorating his apartment? Coming to stand on the other side of the island, he rubbed his thumb between my eyebrows and smoothed out my brow. "Want to know a secret?"

Confused, I propped my chin on my hand and tilted my head some. "Sure. I'm starting to get a bit confused by your whole third person objective view of the flat." I said with a slight smile and leaning closer, Sirius lowered his voice while gesturing for me to lean in as well.

"This isn't my apartment." I opened my mouth to voice my concerns about how this kid was most likely insane, when he put a finger to my lips to silence me. "This isn't my apartment because I just bought it for Lyla and Remus." He grinned fully and I felt my heart swell after the shock and confusion wore off. He had bought, and furnished, this apartment for my sister and his best friend. One less thing they would have to worry about. More money for them to use and focus on the baby or a honeymoon. One less thing to stress about. Feeling my eyes tear up, I practically danced around the counter before jumping into Sirius and kissing him thoroughly.

"You are so amazing right now." I said breathlessly as I just squeezed him and he laughed before taking me by the waist and putting me on the island top. As we kissed again, I let my fingers sift through his dark hair as he slipped his fingers under my t-shirt. His lips left mine as he began to trail kisses down my throat and I sighed happily before opening my eyes and looking around. "Sirius, we can't defile Lyla and Remus' counter tops." I laughed and he looked at me with dark eyes before he tapped his cold fingers against my bare skin.

Shivering as he pulled back and combed his fingers through his hair again, this time to fix the mess I'd made, he let me jump down before smirking. "Well, we certainly can't defile their room either, can we?" He said cheekily and I rolled my eyes before grabbing his hand and beginning to pull him out of the flat. "Where are we going?" He asked as he flicked his wand to turn out the lights and grabbed the key and the contract off the counter.

"You just bought my sister a flat. I can't be expected to keep this a secret." I told him and he laughed before stepping outside the door and taking a quick look at the sheet. With one last wave of his wand, the wards on the flat were made and he wrapped his arms around me again. "Well, then, I guess we need to get to your house and quick."

With a quick spin and a quiet, which was unusual for him, pop, we were standing on my front porch. Extracting myself from his grip, I was about to open the door when it was pulled open and Blair stood with a hand on her hip as Remus came up behind her. "Where have you all been? We're all starved and your mother is making us wait for you two." She raised an eyebrow at us as Remus laughed and pulled her back out of the way.

Taking Remus' arm and ignoring Blair, who was chewing Sirius out about being late, to which he replied she had just eaten three hours ago, I smiled at my future brother-in-law. "Why, might I ask, are you smiling at me so creepily?" He asked me with a smirk and I just laughed while pushing through the door into the kitchen where most of the Parker side, as well as my friends and parents, were sitting.

"Because, dearest Lupin, Sirius and I have an announcement to make." I said with a grin and Uncle Scott looked around the table quickly before addressing me in a stern but teasing voice. "Merlin, if you say you're running off and getting married too I'm going to have to have a talk with this boy." He said and I laughed as Sirius came through the door behind us and defended himself.

"That is definitely not the news. It actually involves Lyla and Remus." Sirius said with a smile. Remus, who had taken his seat next to Lyla again, turned towards us and sent us both a questioning look; as did my mother and father. James, who was entertaining Claire by putting raw noodles on his nose and trying to balance them, sent Sirius an eye roll. "Well, Alexa, would you like tot ell them?"

Tossing the key at the couple with a 'heads up,' I couldn't help the slight giggle that escaped. "What's this all about?" Lyla said while holding up the flat's key and furrowing her eyebrow. Trying to act like I was so put out, I rolled my eyes and let out a huff.

"What does it look like, Lyls?" I countered and she widened her eyes while looking at Remus. He didn't see her however as he rose from his seat and looked at Sirius with a slightly aghast expression. "Padfoot, you didn't. Please tell me this isn't what I think it is." He was coming around the table now to where Sirius was standing with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Sirius shrugged and with just the slightest hint of tears in his pretty blue eyes, Remus and Sirius hugged tightly, but in a manly way.

I hear Sirius whisper something that sounded a lot like a rule, before Lyla came over and slapped Sirius upside the head before hugging onto him tightly. "You're such a stupid bint." She said through tears. Sirius smoothed her hair down in a brotherly fashion before all hell broke loose in the kitchen.

"I can't believe you did this!"

"Sirius, that was so kind!"

"This is too much."

"I want to move in too!"

I watched as they all got up and freaked out, my mother and Lyla gushing about decorations while Sirius clasped my dad's hand and I felt my dad really appreciate my…friend…for once. I was smiling and laughing along with the rest of my family before I realized one thing. Lyla was moving out. My sister was leaving. No longer would she be across the room for me. Luckily for me, no one really noticed me swipe quickly under my eyes. This was going to suck.

* * *

><p>Review? :)<p> 


	4. Rule 157: No Pregnant Heavy Lifting

_Rule 157: Never Let A Pregnant Woman Wield a Basket_

Lyla's Point of View:

* * *

><p>"I can't believe this place is all yours," Blair gushed as she placed one of the many boxes on the counter in the kitchen. "You and Remus are really starting to be a family." She gave me a smile and took off down the hallway to where James, Peter and Remus were doing 'safety inspection' as they called them, in the baby's room. James had apparently done some research and saw everything as a health hazard to the baby.<p>

As I looked around my new house, I suddenly became overwhelmed and quickly found a chair to sit down in. This was all becoming so real and I hadn't really had time to just sit and let it all sink in. I was moving out of my parents' house and starting my own household, and even though I tried to act calm and collected, I wasn't sure if I could do it. Leaning forward onto the kitchen table, I heard the door open and saw Sirius and Alexa walk in. Alexa had a sour look on her face and Sirius just shook his head at her as he closed the door behind them. I gave them a warm smile and then looked to Alexa. "Blair is back in the baby's room with James, Remus and Peter," I told her. She gave me a noncommittal nod and then passed by with a slight mumble. For the last couple days Alexa had been acting weird and moody and I had no clue what her problem was. And any time I asked she just gave me some short bullshit response and stalked off.

Sirius and I both watch Alexa as she disappeared to the baby's room and then I let out a sigh when she was gone. Sirius took the seat next to me and gave me a comforting smile. "How're you doing, kid?" he asked.

"Fine," I partially lied. "I can't say the same for my dear sister. What's wrong with her?" I questioned.

He laughed slightly and shrugged his shoulders. "You think she tells me anything anymore? I'm lucky if she talks to me most days," he said. "I wouldn't worry about her too much. She will eventually want to talk about it." Easier said than done. I always worried about Alexa, whether I wanted to or not. "The place is looking great, Lyls." I looked around the warm yellow kitchen and nodded my head in agreement. We were pretty much all moved in, but I still felt a little uneasy about the whole thing.

"It's not too late to take it all back, you know," I told him. Part of me wanted him to take it back. Part of me wanted to move back into the room I had spent my childhood in and pretend that none of this was happening.

"Lyla, you deserve this," he tried to reassure me.

I just shook my head. "But, that's the thing, I don't deserve this," I told him. "I got pregnant at sixteen and I'm getting married in four weeks. I have done nothing to deserve any of this. I'm very grateful for all of this and I can't thank you enough, but this is supposed to be harder than it is. I just feel bad that everyone is cleaning up our mistake."

Sirius gave me a look and leaned forward so I couldn't avoid his gaze. "You know, at some point, you've got to stop blaming and punishing yourself," he told me. "You may have everyone else fooled, but I can tell that you're afraid to let yourself be happy. You're human; Lyla, and we all make mistakes. We learn from them and then move on. And you got something even more amazing out of all this—a little baby. You deserve to be happy, Lyla. You and Remus are the best people I know and you deserve a happy ending."

My eyes began to sting as tears threatened to spill forth. "I'm afraid that we made a mistake in choosing to keep her," I confessed quietly. I hadn't even shared this with Remus or Alexa, but there was something about Sirius that made me feel I could tell him these things without any judgment. "Every day I sit here and wonder if she would be better off with parents who are older and wiser and who know what they're doing. I don't want to mess this up."

He gave me a smile and cocked his head to the side. "Lyla, when have you ever failed at anything?" he asked. "You and Remus are going to be great parents. I mean, I had parents who were married and older when they had me and look how that turned out. Age and experience has nothing to do with it. You love that baby and you and Remus love each other; that's all that matters. And when times get rough, which they might, your friends will be here to help." I pulled Sirius into a hug and held onto him tightly for a few moments. "And if it makes you feel better about the apartment, I really gave it up because of James." He gave me a wink and laughed. "James couldn't bear the thought of living without me. I had the throw the poor kid a bone."

"Even though I know that that is not at all true, I appreciate the effort," I told him, patting him on the back.

"You're welcome," he said. "For the record, if I had had a mom like you, I know I would have turned out a hell of a lot better than I have. And I'll always be here for you, Lyls. No matter what and no judgment." I gave him another heartfelt smile and then voices slowly started to fill the kitchen.

"All I'm saying is that covering everything in rubber would be best. Everything is a deathtrap for a baby, and I don't want my goddaughter to die," James said as he, Peter and Remus entered the kitchen. "You can never be too careful with little ones," he continued to instruct. I smiled at the boys as they sat around the table discussing the best way to set everything up. I gave Remus's arm a squeeze and slid off my chair to leave them to their business.

I walked through the sunken living room, noticing the wonderfully soft feel of the carpet on my aching feet and headed toward the baby's room. I peered into the soft lavender room (Blair had thought that pink was too obvious a choice) that seemed to almost glow as the late afternoon sun streamed in through the window. Blair and Alexa must have gone into the master bedroom seeing as they were no longer in the baby's room. I took a step in and drifted over to the old crib that had once been Alexa's and mine. There was a small dresser and a twin bed that had already been here when we moved in and then the old crib on the wall next to the closet. Remus's mother had also given us a beautiful rocking chair that she had used and that was in the corner next to the bed.

"The color turned out great in here, didn't it?" I turned around and saw Blair and Alexa coming into the room. I nodded my head in agreement. Blair forged ahead over to the window but Alexa just stayed in the doorway. "Here are a few options for the curtains in here, which one do you guys like better?" she asked as she held fabric samples up to the window. There was one that was white with little butterflies all over it, one that was a light pink with sequins sporadically placed, and then a simple pastel green color. "What do you guys think? I'm partial to the green; I think it really goes well with the purple. Thoughts?"

"Yeah, the green looks great," I agreed. "Alexa, what do you think?" I asked.

Alexa just shrugged her shoulders. "I really don't care," she said. "It's your house, pick what you want." I raised my eyebrow at her and gave her a look. "What?" she asked.

"What's your problem?" I asked back. "I just want to know you're opinion on something."

"Pick whatever you want, Lyla," she said, raising her voice slightly. "Just make a decision. I no longer live with you, so I really shouldn't get a say. You've moved out, and that's that."

Suddenly, things started clicking in my head. "Is that why you've been in such a piss poor mood lately? Because I moved out?" I asked.

"No!" she exclaimed. "Despite popular belief, not everything revolves around you."

"Oh, please," I said, rolling my eyes. "What do you want me to do, Alexa? Live in our room with you forever? What about when the baby comes and after Remus and I get married? Are we all just going to live in that room?" I questioned. "I'm getting married, I'm growing up, and I'm starting a new life. It's not going to be just me and you anymore, I'm going to have a baby and a husband in the mix now."

"That's great, Lyls! Start your new life and be happy," she said, shifting back and forth on her feet. "There clearly isn't room for me in your new life anymore, so I wish you luck and I guess I'll see you around." She turned to leave and I couldn't believe what was happening.

"I wasn't saying I didn't have room for you in my life. I'll always have room for you. I'm just going to have other responsibilities that are going to take up my time and things aren't going to be the same," I told her. "I'm moving forward with my life, I don't have the luxury of living in the past anymore and pretending that everything is so easy and carefree."

"You think my life is so easy?" she asked, hurt in her voice. "I'm not at all saying that what you're going through isn't hard, and I'm not trying to make this about me, but never once have you asked how I'm doing with all this change. I'm losing my sister and you don't seem to care." Alexa was breathing heavily now as she spoke passionately. "You've always been one step ahead of me. Ever since we were little you were always just slightly more advanced, but you never moved on without me. You always made sure to take me along. That's what I loved most about you and why I looked up to you. But now, you're moving on again but this time you left me behind."

"Alexa, I can't hold your hand forever," I told her. "You're my sister, I love you and you will always be a part of my life. But, I'm at a point in my life where I can't put off moving forward to wait for you to catch up." I took a breath and paused to think if I should continue. Before I could stop myself, I started to talk. "You have a tendency to hold onto the past, Alexa, and you don't like things to change once you have them the way you like them."

"I do not hold onto the past!" she argued. "And I've changed so much this year that I don't even know who I originally was."

"You haven't changed at all!" I told her, saying things that I had kept to myself for so long. "Pretending that you're okay when you're not is not moving on, pretending that you're over Sirius doesn't mean you are. You can't move on while you're still caught up on something." She knew what I was talking about and I could tell she wasn't happy about it. I knew after I said it, that I shouldn't have said what I did. I blame it on my hormones.

Alexa just shook her head and walked out of the room. Blair and I quickly took off after her. "Somebody apparate me home," she demanded, when she walked back into the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" James asked, looking for answers.

"Nothing, I just need somebody to apparate me home, now," she repeated.

"Alex, what happened?" Sirius asked.

"Nothing!" she exclaimed. "Either apparate me home, or I'm going to walk home by myself and possibly be killed."

The boys all looked at each other and just shrugged their shoulders. "Okay, fine, I'll take you back," Sirius, said, moving to get up.

"No, I don't want you to do it," she said adamantly. "Anybody but you." She gave him a look and Sirius sat back down in his seat.

Silence filled the room as the tension built. "Um, I'll take you back, Al," Remus said. Alexa nodded her head and immediately headed out the door. Remus followed after her and they both disappeared. After a few more minutes, James, Blair, Sirius and Peter all left, deciding it was best if they went home.

When I was alone in the new apartment, I suddenly felt so lonely and sad. And it was made even worse when I realized I couldn't talk to Alexa about how I was feeling. I finally pulled myself up from the kitchen table and headed back to Remus's bedroom and mine. There were still unpacked boxes littering the floor but the bed was all set up, and for now, I just needed a place to lie down. I went into the bathroom, splashed some water on my face and slipped on my pale blue nightgown that draped over my body.

I flipped off the light in the bathroom and made my way over to the bed. Clicking on the fan next to the bed, I pulled back the soft covers and eased myself onto the mattress. Relief flooded my body as my body sunk into the mattress and the cool air brushed my face. I had been having hot flashes for the last couple of days and I never could manage to get comfortable.

As I sat there staring up at the ceiling, I heard the front door open and then close moments later. I could hear footsteps coming closer until I finally saw Remus's frame in the door to the bedroom. He leaned against the doorframe and just watched me. I leaned forward slightly and struggled with the pillows behind me. Seconds later, Remus was sitting next to me on the bed fixing the pillows for me. "Thank you," I muttered softly.

"Your parents say hello," he told me, eyeing me as if he was waiting for me to break. I just nodded my head with a slight smile. He hesitated for a moment and then decided to speak. "Do you want to talk about what happened?" he asked, not wanting to push me.

I took in a sharp breath and looked down at my hands that were folded on top of my stomach. "I said some things that I'm not proud of," I confessed, still not making eye contact. "But she said some things too." At this point I think I was just trying to reason with myself. "I don't know what to do," I whispered to myself.

"Look," he started, shifting his body to face me and leaning his elbow against his pillows, "I don't pretend that I have the slightest clue how the relationship between you and Alexa works, but I know you both well enough to know that you guys not speaking is going to eat you both up inside. It might be best if one of you just apologizes."

At this I turned to meet him and gave him a look. "And by someone you mean me," I stated. "I don't know if I can face her; the things I said were much worse than what she said. I'm ashamed that I said anything."

Remus placed his arm around my shoulders and held me gently. "Alexa is your sister, I'm sure she will forgive you for whatever you said," he comforted. "And if you said something that you regret, own up to it and just apologize. She'll forgive you and you'll feel better about it."

I let out a 'humph' and snuggled closer to his body. "I'll think about it," I told him, undecided about what I was going to do. I felt his deep laugh quake throughout my body. I looked up at his face and jabbed him slightly in the ribs. "What are you laughing about?" I asked.

"You're cute when you're stubborn," he jested. As he continued to laugh, I pushed him away and crossed my arms across my stomach, all the while, pouting. He leaned over and placed a kiss on my cheek; which I promptly swatted away like a child. Remus turned the lamp by his bedside on and then went to turn off the main light in the room and closed the door.

I situated myself in the bed and threw the blankets off me. Remus settled in next to me and let out a breath. "It's the first night in our new place," he thought out loud, shutting off the lamp and letting the darkness fill the room. "It's weird isn't it?"

I found Remus's hand on the bed and took it in mine. "We're going to be okay," I told him, and myself. Remus lifted my hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss on my skin.

"Yeah, we're going to be okay," he replied. I don't know if I quite believed it yet, but each time it was said, I believed it a little bit more.

* * *

><p>It had been nearly two days since I had talked to Alexa. We hadn't shared more than an angry glare and it didn't bother me in the slightest. At least that's what I told myself. Remus and I had pretty much settled into the new apartment and were starting to get used to our new life. Most of our boxes had been unpacked and the only room that still needed some work was the baby's room.<p>

We had all gathered at my house, or my old house, to finish up the gift baskets and invitations and try to finalize the seating arrangement. We all were seated around the dining room table, I sat at one end and Alexa sat on the completely opposite side. As she angrily tied bows around the little bags of Jordan almonds and Blair delicately addressed the remaining invitations, the boys and me were figuring out where and how to seat all the guests.

"I guess we'll put the wedding party at the front table," I said as I looked at the sheet of paper with the layout of the tables.

Alexa cleared her throat and turned to Blair. "Blair," she said, "Don't you think seating the wedding party all together is a little old fashioned? If I were planning a wedding, I would just have the bride and groom sit together and have everybody else at a different table. The bride and groom won't have time for their wedding party anyways, so why even sit them together." I looked to Alexa and rolled my eyes. "And maybe there are certain members of the wedding party who don't even want to sit with the bride. But they wouldn't know that because the bride probably didn't even bother asking said members of the wedding party."

"Well, maybe if certain members of the wedding party were a little more understanding of the bride and groom's situation, there wouldn't be a problem," I said, looking down at the paper pretending to write something, "Wouldn't you say, Blair?"

"Lyla," Remus cautioned, giving me a look.

Alexa suddenly stood up from her spot, looking angry, and said, "I've got to go." Without another word, she turned and exited through the kitchen.

Everyone just sat there in silence and looked at each other, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. "Let's just get back to work and get this finished," I suggested. They all nodded in agreement and set back in to what they had been doing. "We'll set my parents and your parents at the same table and then we'll put the rest of the Parkers together."

"Maybe you should go talk to your sister," Remus suggested to me in a whisper. I sighed and looked out the window. "I gave you your space and gave you time to come to the decision yourself, but it is time to make up with your sister. You've been miserable the last two days and from what Blair's told me, Alexa has been pretty miserable too. You just need to apologize so you two can move on from this."

"Do I have to?" I asked. Remus just placed a kiss on the top of my head and nodded. I slid out of my chair and reluctantly headed to the kitchen. I pushed open the door slowly and saw Alexa sitting at the bar stabbing a piece of pie my mother had made the night before. I went to the side of the island across from her and watched as she assaulted the flaky crust. "So…" I trailed off.

"I'm pretending that this is your face," she informed me dully.

"Oh, come on, don't be like that," I said, even though I deserved it. "I'm really sorry Alexa." She stopped stabbing with her fork and waited for me to continue. "You were right. I got so caught up in everything that was happening that I forgot about how others may be feeling. And for that I am truly sorry."

She looked up at me and looked sad. "For sixteen years you've been there for me, right by my side every step of the way, picking me up when I fell and protecting me along the way," she started. "Then, all of a sudden, you weren't there anymore. I got scared. I feel like I'm losing my best friend. For the first time, I'm on my own and I'm afraid I'm going to fail and fall flat on my face. I miss you."

"Alex, I will always be here for you, even if we don't share a room," I told her. "We're still sisters and nothing will ever change that. If you ever need anything, I will help you and you are always welcome our new place; just in case you need to escape mother." Alexa laughed and gave me a smile. "And you're not going to fall on your face. You've always been able to take of yourself; I just didn't let you prove that very often. You're the strongest person I know, and with your help, I know I'm going to be able to get through having this baby and the wedding."

"Let's never fight again," she said, getting up from her stool and pulling me into a hug. "Not talking to you for two days nearly killed me."

"No promises," I said, holding her tight, "But I'll sure try. And for the record, I want you to sit at the table with me at the wedding."

Alexa laughed again and put her arm around my shoulder as we headed back to the dining room. "Well, I guess that will work," she said. "For the record, I don't think that's old fashion. I couldn't imagine sitting with anyone else. And let me make one for thing clear," she added, stopping short of the door, "I don't mind sharing you with Remus and eventually my precious goddaughter, but I want you to always remember that I'm your sister and I've known you longer." She threw me a wink and then we walked back into the dining room.

"Did you two make up?" Remus asked when he saw us.

"Indeed we did Remus," Alexa said as she took her seat at the table. "Now, Remus, I accept the fact that you are now number one in my dear sister's life, but I want you to know that I am a very close second. You get custody of her for now, but I do demand visitation rights."

"You are welcome to visit anytime you want," Remus said as I sat down next to him and he put his arm around me. Alexa nodded her head and went back to tying the ribbons, a smile on her face.

The next day, after having patched everything up with Alexa, we all gathered at Remus and mine's new abode to finish unpacking things and put the finishing touches on the place. We were lucky enough to get the apartment fully furnished, but it needed some personal touches that represented us. We began to hang photos and personal items and it was really starting to feel like our place. I grabbed a black frame out of one of the boxes in the living room and smiled as I saw what picture it was.

Enclosed within the dark wood was a black and white photo of Blair, Alexa, and me. We were laughing hysterically and holding each other closely. I remember when James took this picture. It was during a Hogsmeade outing this past winter. We all had warm hats on and you could see the snow falling around us, and occasionally a snowflake would land on our faces and disappear just as quickly as it had landed. We looked so happy and I could almost hear Blair's high-pitched breathy laugh and Alexa's strong dramatic chortle.

I went over to the fireplace and delicately placed the picture on the mantle next to a picture of Remus and I and one of all of us amidst a giant pile of leaves. As I looked at these pictures, I suddenly realized something that I should have known all along. Remus and I weren't in this alone, even thought it sometimes felt like we were. People kept telling me that we weren't alone in this, but it hadn't really resonated with me until this moment. Remus and I already had a family and that family would be with us through thick and thin. Our daughter was going to have three moms and four dads, and together we could do anything. Alexa and Blair were my sisters, James, Sirius and Peter, my brothers. We were bonded together forever. I grabbed another photo and placed it with the others on the mantel, completing the set. Adding a picture from a scan I had done recently, I now had my new family represented.

I heard a loud squeal come from back in the baby's room. No doubt it was Blair gushing about how cute this and that was. Everyone else was in the baby's room finishing up the room. Blair insisted that I didn't help so it could be a surprise. I already knew the colors of the baby's room but I was excited to see everything put together. Alexa had bought some bedding for the crib and I know Blair had gotten some things to make the room fit for a little princess, as she put it. I'm not really sure what the guys were doing, but I'm sure they were putting their two cents in whenever Blair stopped gushing long enough.

Tired from unpacking, I took a seat on the couch that was situated next to the window. I looked around the living room, trying to figure out if I was happy with the setup. I couldn't really put my finger on it but there was just something off about the room. I looked to the chair and ottoman over to the left, but that wasn't it. Next I looked at the coffee table before me and tilted my head to examine the vase of flowers. That wasn't it either. It suddenly hit me, the couch. Where the couch was situated just bugged me for some reason.

I pulled myself off the comfortable couch and stood in front of it for a moment looking at it skeptically. I moved to one end of the couch and grasped the arm of the couch firmly. I shifted it slightly forward and then moved to the others side to do the same. I kept this up until it was nearly in the perfect spot. Just as I was about to make the final adjustment, something made me jump back. "What the hell is this?" I turned to see James now standing in the living room looking at me with furious eyes.

"Bloody hell, James, you scared me to death," I said, taking a deep breath to calm myself down. "Don't sneak up on me like that."

"Step away from that couch, now," he said sternly. "You know you shouldn't be lifting that." I just waved James off and reached again for the couch. "If you touch that couch, we're going to have a problem." I gave James a look and then deliberately placed my hand on the couch. He let out a frustrated huff and turned back toward the bedrooms. "Remus, Lyla is trying to lift really heavy things and she won't stop!" he exclaimed.

"Real mature," I scoffed. James just gave me an 'I warned you' look.

In a matter of seconds, Remus, Sirius, and Peter were next to James looking at me scandalously. "We can't leave you alone for few minutes without you trying to do something that you're not supposed to do," Remus said.

"I'm not impotent, Remus," I informed him. "I am perfectly capable of doing things for myself."

"You know you're not supposed to lift heavy things. The doctor told you to take it easy," he lectured.

"Well, you freak out every time I use magic because you're afraid I'm going to do too much and what happened on my birthday is going to happen again," I complained. "I can't do things by hand, I can't do things with magic, I can't do anything. I still have five months of being pregnant; if I can't do anything for five months, I'm going to go insane."

"You can boss everyone else around," Sirius offered. "See, we found a solution."

"Listen here," I said pointedly to all of them. "You all need to back off and give me a little freedom. I know my limits and I'll stop if I get too tired or start feeling weird. Can you guys do that for me?" Don't get me wrong, I loved having all these people care about me, but it was like by marrying Remus I was going to be getting all of the Marauders as my 'husbands'. Sometimes they just took the caring too far. They all mumbled noncommittally and nodded their heads. "Now, James, did you come out here for any particular reason?" I asked.

James racked his brain for a moment and then remembered. "Oh, yeah, we're finished in the baby's room," he said with a proud smile. I abandoned the couch, gladly, and followed after the four boys who led me back to the room. The door was closed and we all gathered outside it.

"Someone cover her eyes!" Blair shouted from inside the room. I started to protest but Blair quickly cut me off. "Just do it!" Remus quickly moved behind me and placed his hands delicately over my eyes. I heard the door open and then felt someone take my hand and led me forward. Remus moved with me smoothly until we finally came to a stop. Remus slowly removed his hands from my face and I was completely amazed by what I saw.

The room had been totally transformed and was absolutely perfect. I honestly couldn't even believe what I saw. The crib had soft purple sheets on it with a delicate green design and a beautiful white blanket covering that, with purple satin edges. At the bottom of the crib hung a billowing white bed skirt with a thick strip of purple satin dusting the floor. On the floor right by the crib was a purple, white and green carpet that was so soft.

The dresser was on the next wall, next to the window and it had a cute little lamp on it and a small vase of lavender that gave the room the most heavenly aroma. In one of the corners sat Remus's mother's rocking chair. I looked at all my friends and gave them a grateful smile. "This is amazing," I told them. I was nearly speechless.

"I'm glad you like it," Blair said giving me a hug. "And so the baby will have a part of all of us even when we aren't here, we each added something special to the room." Blair moved over to her bag sitting on the floor and reached for something. When she turned back around she was holding the prettiest silver music box I had ever seen. She held it out to me with a smile. "I got this when I was a little girl and I would always sit and listen to it. It plays Claire de Lune," she said. "I always listened to it when I went to bed and I want the baby to have it." I passed my fingers over the cool metal and lightly lifted the top. The calming sounds of Debussy spilled forth and I smiled.

Alexa cleared her throat, her hands behind her back. "I could only think of one thing that I wanted to give to my niece. It comes as a great sacrifice to myself, but I will part with it because I love her so much," she explained. From behind her back, Alexa revealed her blanket from when she was a baby. Alexa loved her blankie and hardly slept a night without it. It was slightly worn from time but I knew what it meant for Alexa to be giving it up. I took the white blanket and rubbed my finger over the spot that Alexa had worn a hole through it from rubbing it too much.

I turned to Peter next who looked nervous. He held out a really ornate night-light. "I… I was always scared of the dark," he said meekly. "I don't want the baby to be scared like I was."

"It's perfect, Peter," I told him. I pulled him into a hug and patted him on the back.

James turned to me and held a large bag in his hands. "Mine is kind of from my whole family but I think you'll like it." Out of the bag, he pulled a large quilt and unfolded it so we could see all of the designs. "My mum made it," he told me. "She used a bunch of old baby blankets to make it and she stitched all of our initials into it." He walked over to the rocking chair and draped it over the back of the chair. The quilt was absolutely beautiful and couldn't even imagine all the love and work that went into making it.

Last up, but never least, was Sirius. He had a smirk on his face. "Like Alexa, I chose something that means a lot to me and I hope the baby loves it as much as I do," he told me. He pointed behind me to a shelf on the wall. Sitting on the shelf was Captain Awesome.

I looked back at Sirius in disbelief. "Sirius, you don't have to do this," I told him. I knew how much he loved that bear.

"Lyls, I want to," he assured me. "Captain Awesome deserves to be with someone who will play with him and appreciate him all over again. He got me through some rough times and I know that he wants to be there for your little girl just like he was there for me." I gave Sirius a smile and shook my head.

"I don't even know how to thank you guys," I confessed. "This is beyond anything that I could imagine. Thank you so much." James grabbed everyone and pulled us into a large group hug. It was official; I had the best friends in the entire world.

* * *

><p>"Look, I am going to have to literally kick your ass if you don't get your little pregnant butt into that dressing room," Alexa said as she and Blair blocked my escape from the dress shop. "Now, I know that we've really had some duds the last times we've tried, but Blair and I personally have selected a dress that we think will be the one."<p>

"Just trust us, Lyls," Blair said, encouragingly. "It can't possibly be as bad as the others," she joked. I nodded unwillingly and went into the dressing room to put on the dress that my dear friend and sister had picked out.

I looked at the elegant dress that was hanging on a hanger and let my fingers run down the fabric that was so soft and delicate. The design was undoubtedly beautiful and any bride would be lucky to have this dress. From experience, dresses and clothes in general these days for me always looked better on the rack than they did actually on me.

I slipped the dress on and an attendant came in to help me zip up the back, which surprisingly closed with ease. The dress felt great and seemed to fit me rather well. I smoothed the fabric over my stomach and situated the dress before I stepped out of the dressing room to show Alexa and Blair.

When I rounded the corner to where Blair and Alexa were seated, there was a collective gasp from my two friends as I came into view. I stood before them and gave them a smile. "What do you think?" I asked.

Blair and Alexa got up from their spots and moved toward me. Alexa gave me a wide smile and Blair looked like she was fighting back the tears. They turned me toward the mirror and we all assessed the dress. The dress was covered in lace and the design was beautiful. It had thin lace sleeves that went down to my elbows and the dress flowed gently to the floor. The fabric covered my stomach nicely and it was loose enough to allow room if my stomach got much bigger by wedding day.

"You look absolutely beautiful," Alexa said, giving me a hug. "Remus is going to die when he sees you in this dress."

"You really think it's the one?" I questioned.

"If you don't get this dress, you might as well just not get married," Blair said dramatically. "This is perfect and you look perfect. I couldn't imagine you in any other dress." I gave her a smile and looked at myself in the mirror again. I really did feel great in this dress and it was the first one that I didn't feel was way to big or way too tight.

Blair moved behind me and pulled my hair back into a messy bun. With my hair pulled back, the neckline of the dress was more prominent and it really accentuated and elongated my neck. I had decided that I wasn't going to wear a veil so Blair was going to do something special with my hair. "This is it," I told them.

It felt like a giant weight was lifted off my chest. With everything going on, it was nice to have everything falling into place. I now had one less thing to worry about and that anxiety about how I was going to look on my wedding day was gone.

The shop owner took the dress after I changed out of it and went to wrap it up for me. She also offered to tailor it for free if I needed any slight alterations come wedding day. The dress was a little more than I wanted to pay, but Alexa told me that I shouldn't think about it. If it's what I really wanted and the dress I really loved, that's all that mattered. The price didn't matter nearly as much as making me completely happy on my wedding day.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: So, I know it's been a long, long time since we last updated, but seeing as my lovely co-author who wrote this lovely chapter is up at her school and I'm being all cool down at my school, it's taken us longer than usual to get ourselves in gear and to outline (me) and write (her) this chapter. Hope you all enjoyed it and are not totally mad at us. Drop us a line if you want to express your feelings towards this chapter; I promise we won't be mad. :)<p>

Disclaimer: We don't own it. Obviously. :)


	5. Rule 76: Emotional Dealings

_Rule 76: Emotions Will Be Kept at a Minimum During Meetings (Unless in Extreme Situations)  
><em>  
><em>Alexa's Point of View<em>

* * *

><p>"I've changed my mind. You're not going to the concert." Remus said as he and the rest of the boys sat in our room and exchanged glances between themselves. Lyla laughed before twirling around in her silver t-strap heels and showing off her very flattering one-shouldered black dress with the empire waist that hid her growing baby-bump nicely. Her hair was straightened to perfection and laying over one shoulder in an elaborate twist. "Oh, Remus, you can't tell me what to do, love." She said before sitting in his lap and giving him a kiss on the cheek.<p>

He wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck, looking like he had no intentions of letting go, while James diverted his eyes back to Blair with a frown. "Quit with the brow-furrowing, Potter." She said as she ruffled her teased crown and put her hands on her bare hips. Her high-waisted red shorts and white, off the shoulder peasant top that was cropped just above her belly button, showed a strip of flesh and she rolled her eyes at me. Teetering on her ankle boots, she walked back to the front of the mirror to blink her smoky eyes at her reflection.

"I'm with Remus. I don't feel like we'd be very good gentlemen if we let you out of the house like this." Sirius spoke up from his position sitting on the floor with Little Sirius who was scampering about between our high-heels. Laughing at my friend's boyfriends, I spun around in a circle, keeping my hands down so my short, strapless white sundress wouldn't flare up too high. Then, adjusting the frayed blue-jean cropped vest I had on, I pushed the sparkly band around my head down some to keep my huge curls at bay. Reaching down to adjust my wedged heels with the white straps winding up my calves, I rubbed noses with Little Sirius who was meandering over to me.

"We better leave now if we want to catch the trolley to London on time." I told everyone and everyone started about on the final things, such as tickets and touch-ups and wands stowed away in Blair's brown leather satchel. I was turning off the lights to the room and about to make my way downstairs, my cat stowed safely in his pen, when Sirius grabbed my hand from outside the door and pulled me into him. "Watch yourself, Black." I said with a grin as he looked down at the way my breasts were crushed to his chest.

"Your parents are out for the night, right? And James and Blair will be staying at his." He stated and I nodded silently as his hands trailed over my sides. I felt my breathing start to stagger as I listened to my friends walking down the stairs to the foyer. "I'll meet you back here when the concert is over." He told me and as I looked up into his darkening eyes, I bit my lip before he put a hand in my hair and guided my lips to his.

"Merlin, if I had known you'd be this jealous over a simple concert," I trailed off and he grinned in his arrogant way before letting me go and trotting down the stairs. I gave him a few minutes, checked myself and calmed my breathing, before heading down into the foyer, my heels making heavy footfalls the whole way. "I'm so ready to see my band in concert that it's really a bit insane." I told them as we stepped out onto the porch and Lyla locked the door with her house key.

Turning and giving Remus a kiss goodbye, she addressed everyone. "So, we'll be meeting up here after the concert to make sure we all make it back to our respective homes?" I knew she was still super excited about the big move into her and Remus' flat, which they had done last week, because she brought it up all the time. When we had all acquiesced to her request, the boys apparated away as we walked to the front of the neighborhood, tottering slightly in our heels and from the shots of liquid courage Blair and I had consumed in our room while getting ready (sparkling apple juice only for soon to be baby mama), and stepped up to the designated spot to away for the seven o'clock trolley.

"I'm so bloody excited I can barely breath." Blair let out as we pulled up twenty minutes later outside of one of London's largest stadiums. I felt myself begin to bounce in excitement as Lyla grabbed our hands tightly and we began to walk to one of the many entrances. Everyone around us was talking excitedly, yelling out for tickets, or just generally squealing, and I felt my eyes widen as I took it all in. Girls of all shapes and sizes held posters hailing the band while boys stumbled around and sang some of the hits the band were known for.

Blair dug out her muggle camera, gathering us in as we waited in the never ending line and snapping a few quick pictures, the flashes blinding us completely, before some girl who was old enough to be our mother and wearing a shirt advertising the red-tongue logo, offered to take one for us so our faces wouldn't be so smashed and close-up. We happily obliged and after a few alternating pictures and a heated conversation on that was better, the lead guitarist or the vocalist, we had made it to the security guards who took our tickets and ushered us into the stadium.

Checking my ticket for what had to be the fortieth time that night, I glanced around the half-full stadium as a cover-band warmed up on stage. "Where the hell are our seats?" I asked Blair who shrugged her shoulders as she gazed around the large stadium in awe. I had to admit; the inside of the stadium was filled with tiers of seats while the floor had rows and rows of seats in front of a massive stage where the band would be performing.

"No clue; why don't we ask the attendant?" Blair said while almost pulverizing some petite looking girls as she walked around with her head tilted up and back to look at her surroundings. Lyla quickly apologized to the teens and then grabbed Blair's arm while marching us over to the seating attendant where we were located at the moment. After showing the woman our tickets, she spoke briefly into a walkie-talkie, before pointing us down a large amount of stairs and saying some man named 'Johnny' would meet us at the bottom.

We stumbled, half-drunkenly, pausing for a few moments to get our wits about us as I laughed my ass off every time Blair took a slight spill into the railing, to the bottom where a big robust red-head stood and smiled at us. "Well girls, you are in for a treat tonight." Exchanging glances with my sister and best friend, I coughed through my giggles and followed the ginger down the rows of seat, nearing the stage and watching it get closer and the warm up band grow louder with every row.

"Blair." I said in a squeak as the attendant stopped just 10 rows shy of the stage. Then, with a loud shriek, Lyla started bouncing up and down and clapping her hands like a psychopath. It took all of two seconds for Blair and I to join her as the attendant moved off with a laugh to help someone else. As my heart pounded strongly in my chest, I felt my adrenaline rush to the surface and my face heat up in excitement. "Stop, stop! You're going to bounce baby Lyla right out of you and then we'll miss the concert!" I told my sister, who laughed hysterically but stopped bouncing.

"Well, ladies, shall we find our seats?" Blair said with a maniacal grin and I nodded enthusiastically as we began to clamber over the people that were already seated and made it to our chairs. None of us spoke as we sat in awe, looking over the stadium, at the people surrounding us, and just generally smiling, except for the times when we would randomly burst into excited laughter or shrieking.

The first tones of some random opening band filled the air of the stadium as it continued to fill up, and even though it wasn't the band we were there to see, all three of us jumped to our feet and clapped along to their music. The leader singer, wild and brash, gyrated on stage and Blair mimed fanning herself while I danced along on my heels and tried not to face plant. The effect of the alcohol and the flood of emotions filling my body had me yelling louder than usual and it wasn't long before we had attracted the attention of the guitarist.

Walking towards the end of the stage, he flicked his guitar pick at us, which Blair caught and then yelled out a 'thanks, babe,' when the music had lulled. She was loud enough for him to hear, and as people in the crowd around us laughed at our antics, the guitarist winked and sauntered back over to the lead singer, who was waxing poetic about lovely fans and bad tour busses. With a smile, his eyes locked onto the three of us and as the band started up a particularly lively beat, he made his way over to our side of the stage.

"Oh, my Merlin!" Lyla said while grabbing my arm, as I stood in the middle of my two friends. "He's coming over here! He sees us!" She breathed out in excitement and Blair watched star-struck as this basically nameless singer jumped from the stage, and stumbled down the row to where we were standing. People around us shrieked and laughed as security tried to usher him back onstage, but he only waved them off before coaxing for Blair's outstretched hand and kissing it. Then, with a tip of his imaginary hat, he jumped back to the stage again.

To say we were going wild was an understatement, and soon after that an old, beat up drumstick, found its way to us while we continued to dance and sing for a band we had never even heard before. An hour or so later, they thanked the crowd, bowed dramatically, and sauntered off-stage as the lights came on and the set began to be taken down in exchange for the headliners to take the stage. Sitting back down, Lyla took a deep breath before launching into how amazing all this was and how she was going to go into premature labor from excitement.

"I have no clue who that man was, but if they ever become famous I have about 20,000 witnesses that he has touched my skin." Blair was saying and I laughed before looking up in front of me, and tilting my head to the side. Just up ahead was a very familiar head full of fire engine red hair. I was about to say something to Blair and Lyla when the lights dimmed and a thunderous roar filled the stadium as what felt like millions of people stood to their feet and a bass note rocketed through my eardrums.

My eyes widened and I let out what was embarrassingly my girliest shriek ever and started to jump up and down on my wedges as best I could without tanking hard. Suddenly, as the opening riff was finished, the lights went up on stage and I was standing, looking at my all time favorite band in the world. "_If you start me up,"_ He sang and I grabbed onto my friends' hands as we all bounced around, danced, and sang along with the band.

From there, they said hello in their beautiful voices before heading straight into _Don't Stop._ I was in heaven by the time they had slowed it down to _Fool to Cry_ and as Lyla tried to say something, Blair stopped her as she stared deeply and very intensely at the lead singer as if she was blocking out the world. "Sorry, Lyla, but I'm trying to envision him singing just to me." I laughed loudly with Lyla before focusing back on the lead guitarist, watching as his fingers slid over the frets on his guitar like an expert.

After his beautiful crooning turned into their classic _You Can't Always Get What You Want_ and _Brown Sugar_, a few of the people in front of us had cleared out for whatever reason. Looking around, and noticing that the security was busy with a couple of drunken men a few rows over, I motioned to Blair and Lyla that we should climb over the folding chairs and get closer. Blair immediately began the trek, but Lyla hesitated a bit before I grabbed her arm and started to haul her over. Gracefully, or not, she hopped over in her short dress and heels before she and Blair grabbed my arm and pulled me across the row.

Looking up, I saw the red hair again and as there was a lull in the music and the band was bantering between them while the audience laughed, I tapped on the girl's back before laughing loudly as I saw her. "Who would have guessed Lily Evans was a fan." I said and Blair and Lyla laughed too as Lily shrieked and hugged all of us from over the chairs. Then, abandoning her post next to a rather stiff looking girl, she climbed over the chairs and stood next to us.

Admittedly, she was rather drunk, so she fit in perfectly as we all sang along to _Miss You _and _Gimme Shelter._ By the time _Paint it Black_ and _Sympathy for the Devil_ had finished, Blair, Lily, and I were sufficiently hammered from the tiny flask that Lily had snuck in with her and she and Blair were singing along to _Wild Horses_ while Lyla and I leaned against each other and sang under our breath. When the concert finally ended, with the classic _(I Can't Get) No Satisfaction _and _She's a Rainbow_, we all filed out of the stadium. Blair and Lily were still laughing together and hanging off of each other, while Lyla and I continued to sing to their songs, giggling all the while.

"I'll write!" Lily said as the girl she was with, who turned out to be her stick in the mud sister who had gotten the tickets from her boyfriend who couldn't go tonight, pulled her off towards the car lot. We all waved good-bye and waited in line for the trolley, which would take us back to my house. Once we had all taken a seat, I closed my eyes briefly while the rocking motion drifted me into a slight comatose state. Blair was still chattering on happily to Lyla who was sat with her hand on her stomach and nodding along to some music she was humming.

Finally, at the front of our neighborhood, the trolley let us off and we stumbled down the street, Lyla doing her best to keep the ground steady beneath us. Finally, we sat down on the sidewalk and I giggled through unlacing my sandals while Blair talked about her toes were demanding to be set free in a rather loud voice. After much debate on which toe was the prettiest, her middle toe on her left foot for obvious reasons, we started our trek again.

"Where the hell have you all been?" James asked as he ran a hand through his unruly hair and stood from the porch just in time to catch Blair who had flung herself towards him. "You're blistered." He said with a laugh as she smiled dazedly at him and then ran a hand down the side of his face. "And you're sexy." She said and then with a deep, throaty laugh, closed her eyes and passed out. Pulling her into his arms, James rolled his eyes before nodding goodbye and apparating away.

"I'm going to take it that you all had a good time?" Remus said while standing from the porch and taking Lyla's shoes out of her hands for her. She leaned against him and he put his hand over her stomach before kissing her forehead.

"A very lovely time indeed." I said while feeling my eyes drift to Sirius, who was still seated on the stairs, leaning back with a smirk on his face as he watched us all stumble around; Lyla from being tired and pregnant, me from the after-effects of too much fire-whiskey. "Well, I'll be going to bed then." I tried to hint at Lyla and Remus to leave, while not making it too obvious that Sirius would be staying, and Lyla rolled her eyes before saying goodbye and holding onto Remus' hand.

"I can't wait until I can no longer apparate. I hate this feeling. I'll be over to make breakfast tomorrow, boozy. See you, Sirius." She said with a wink before she and Remus twisted out of sight. Sighing, I went to reach for Blair's shoes that she had dropped when Sirius held them out to me. Giggling, I tripped slightly on the stairs and went to open the door. "Well, you're not a guitarist, but I assume you'll do for the night." I winked at Sirius while backing through the open door and bit my lip when Sirius stepped into the darkened foyer and shut the door behind him.

Dropping my shoes to the floor, I stood on one of the stairs to get some height and reached my hands into his tousled hair as we kissed heavily. Stumbling up the stairs, we entered one of the first rooms we came to before falling to the bed.

The next morning, however, as I heard a pan crash to the floor in the kitchen, I sat up quickly and immediately regretted it. Monkeys. And they were fucking everywhere. Staring out at me from the foliage painted walls, covering my naked body as I hugged the sheets to myself, and even from the greenery in the ceiling. Closing my eyes quickly and bracing myself against the blinding headache I felt, I fell back to the bed before feeling Sirius settle in more beside me.

"Damn it," I whispered through my dry throat as I rolled over slightly to look at the boy lying peacefully next to me. He was thoroughly naked, his torso and hips visible from where I had yanked the sheet up to cover myself and I let my gaze linger before I shook myself from my ogling. There were more important things going on right now than staring at the Adonis next to me in bed. Like, I don't know if Lyla found out we were in here.

Trying to rack my brain, I looked around the room, hoping to locate all of our clothes and that they weren't scattered on the stairs or in the hallway. Locating all of Sirius' belongings, as well as my knickers, I bit my lip when I didn't see my dress or vest. This could be potentially problematic, but then again, I could have just thrown them off before falling into bed, alone, if that's what Lyla asked. Speaking of, I really hoped she hadn't gone upstairs to look for me.

Standing up and pulling Sirius's t-shirt from the ground, I yanked the shirt over my rat's nest of curls and then pulled my underwear on quickly. Crawling back up onto the bed, I pushed down on Sirius' shoulders and bounced so I was pushing him into the bed hard enough to rouse him from his sleep. When he opened his eyes, he closed them sharply before peeking through one as if he was winking. "Why are you waking me up?" He groaned and I slapped a hand over his mouth, sitting still and listening for any motion on the stairs.

When I was sure the coast was clear, I took my hand off his mouth and began to speak in a quick whisper. "Lyla is here cooking breakfast." I stated, and other than looking excited at the prospect of a proper English breakfast, he didn't show much indication. "Meaning she may or may not know that you stayed the night. And if she knows that you stayed the night then she'll know something is going on." Sitting himself up so he was propped against the headboard of the bed, he took in my current state of dress.

"I think I'd be more worried about her realizing you're wearing my shirt from yesterday without a bra." He said and I reached over to whack him on the side of the head, when he caught my wrist and flipped me over to where he was lying over me, only the sheet wrapped around his lower body. I felt my face heat up when he grinned wickedly and began to suck on my neck. "Besides, is it really such a bad thing that she knows? We're just two teenagers relieving our sexual tension. What's so wrong with that?"

"The fact that I'll look like a slag is obviously non-important to you." I breathed out while running my fingers absentmindedly through his hair. "Besides, Sirius, we agreed to make this non-exclusive and to not tell anyone about it. You haven't told anyone, have you?" He didn't reply, instead working his hands up under his t-shirt I was currently sporting and focusing on that. "Sirius, have you told anyone?"

Finally bringing his eyes to face me, he smiled winningly at my panicked glare, and then winked at me. "I haven't told anyone anything." He said and I let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't that I was ashamed to be with him, Merlin, no. But I didn't want anyone to find out and then think of me as just another one of Sirius' flings. We were friends, and so what if we had benefits I wouldn't share with any of my other friends? That was our own damn business. Although, it was starting to feel more and more like a relationship by the day.

"Good. Because if anyone finds out about this, they wouldn't understand. And we're finally good for once. I don't want anyone to mess this up." Looking at me with a nod, Sirius leaned down and kissed my lips quickly before rolling off of me and slipping his jeans back on, buttoning them and then looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

"How am I supposed to explain to James that I was just wondering around shirtless when I get back to his house?" Sirius asked me and I crossed my arms over the dark-gray t-shirt he was referring to. "What am I supposed to do if I try to make it from here to my room without clothes?" I mocked back and he rolled his eyes.

Climbing back on the bed, where I was still laying down, he straddled my hips and lowered his face to my own. "Alexa," He breathed out and I felt myself tilt my head towards his while waiting for his lips to meet mine. We kissed, and I allowed him to pull my legs around him, the denim from his jeans digging into my thighs. As he sat up and brought me with him, I clutched his shoulders and let a sigh escape my lips involuntarily.

Continuing to kiss me, he snaked his hands under the fabric of my shirt, pulling it up and off me to expose my bare chest to the cold air of the room and as we continued to kiss, I pressed myself closer against him. Then, without warning, he placed me off of himself and back into the mattress. His warmth left me and as I sat up, confused, I saw him putting the shirt back on himself. "That was so unfair, Black." I said while grabbing one of the pillows and covering myself with it.

"You win some, you lose some." Then, with a shake of his head to get his hair out of his eyes, he smiled at me. "See you in an hour or so." And with that he apparated quickly away and back to James' house. Gathering my bra, which I hooked back on, I peeked my head out of the room to make sure the coast was clear. Sure enough, my vest and dress were flung on the banister and outside the room. Grabbing the offending clothing, I ran to my room before tossing my clothes into a pile and stepping into the bathroom for a shower.

It was weird not having Lyla live at home anymore. I had the bathroom to myself, and now instead of things cluttered everywhere, there was only my things kept in a nice neat row on the vanity. I had the drawers to myself, which I filled with my make-up and other products, and because they felt bad, my parents had traded in my old bed for a larger queen sized canopy bed. And while I was happy with the changes and the larger room to myself, I still missed my sister dearly. Rinsing myself off, I stepped out of the shower and dried off quickly, then threw on a pair of sleep shorts and an old t-shirt before heading downstairs where the smell of pancakes and bacon filled the air.

"Beautiful hair-do, Alex. I must say you do look ravishing in the early morning." Lyla said while Remus, who was sipping coffee and reading the Morning Prophet at the counter, looked up and laughed. My hair was still wrapped in a towel at the top of my head, and I rolled my eyes while stilling a fresh piece of bacon from the pan.

"Thank you for that amazing compliment, Lyls." I began to fill my own cup with coffee when the door swung open and James walked in, followed by Blair, who looked like she'd seen better days. Instead of taking her make-up off, she looked like she'd stayed in last night's look. Dark rings of mascara and eyeliner adorned her eyes while her bronzer ran in rivulets down her face. She wore an over-large t-shirt, assumed to be James's, and her shorts from the night before. "Well, there's something you don't see everyday." I said with a giggle and she flipped me off before throwing herself into a chair and lying back on another chair. Placing an arm over her eyes, she let out a large groan and then silenced.

James, who joined me at the coffee pot, filled a cup with black coffee before fixing his own glass and took the black coffee to Blair. "I believe someone had a bit too much to drink last night." He said with a smirk and Blair let out another glare before taking the cup and drinking half in one go.

"I feel like I've been drugged." She said and I laughed while Lyla pointed the tongs she was using to flip bacon and scramble eggs with at her. "That's what it feels like after seeing the greatest band alive and drinking strange substances from Lily Evans."

"No one mentioned Lily Evans was at this shindig." Sirius stated as he sauntered through the kitchen door in new jeans and a navy button down, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. "Lyla, breakfast smells amazing. Blair, looking lovely as usual. Alexa, nice hair." Simultaneously, Blair and I both shot him glares while he took a seat next to James and Lyla sent him a lovely smile while turning back to breakfast.

"I almost forgot about that completely." I said while pulling my hair out of my towel and running my hands through it to loosen the waves and parting it to the side slightly. "She was hammered drunk." I said with a laugh while grabbing plates from the corner cabinet and setting them out for us. Remus got up to get the juice and milk, while James came over to help bring over the eggs, bacon, and pancakes to the table. Lyla, left with nothing to do, took her seat at the table while we brought everything over.

"Blistered and loving every moment of it." Lyla said with her own laugh as we all helped ourselves to food. "She actually wasn't that bad. And she even promised to write."

"Well, there's a change of events if I've ever heard one." Remus put in and as Blair took a break from shoving food into her mouth, she put her on opinion in. "And let me tell you, I will never try to keep up with Lily Evans in a drinking fashion ever again."

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><p>"Merlin's left hand, never his right, where can I put this box?" I heaved as I walked into Lyla and Remus' apartment carrying what felt like bricks in a box. James and Sirius looked up from their spot in front of the television and grinned at me while Remus, who was in the kitchen, pointed me towards the back bedroom. "Load of help you two were," I muttered as I passed the boys who were watching the football players run around the pitch on the screen.<p>

As I passed into the hallway, James cheered loudly while Sirius shouted at the set. Rolling my eyes, I shuffled to the master bedroom and dropped the box of bricks onto the floor in front of the bed. Blair looked up from the bed where she was laying on her stomach and reading a magazine. Lyla's cocoa brown bedspread and big fluffy pillows were cushioning Blair in a perfect mass and I rolled my eyes at my friend. "Please tell me that was the last box." Lyla said as she came in from the adjoining bathroom.

Climbing up on the bed with Blair, I sighed and nodded to her and she dropped to the floor next to the box. Climbing towards the end of the bed, I propped myself up on my elbows and looked at my sister. Sitting in black leggings and an over-sized, off the shoulder t-shirt, she had pulled her hair back off of her face and was resting one hand on her stomach while the other was on the box. "What's in the box, Lyls? By Alexa's face it was at least five pounds of weight." Reaching over to swat at Blair for making fun of my weak arms, I turned back to Lyla who was blushing.

"Just some stuff." She said while pulling her hand off the box and leaning back on her hands. I laughed at the sight she made, her legs spread and stomach popping out, and then army crawled off the bed, balancing myself before getting off the bed. Lyla raised an eyebrow and then giggled some and Blair hopped off the bed, discarding her magazine and joining us on the floor. "Really, it's nothing special. Just some stuff from back home."

"Oh, seriously, Lyla. Just open the box and let us see what it is." Blair pulled the heavy box towards her and when she started ripping the tape, Lyla threw herself on top of the box. Laughing at my sister's antics, I grabbed the box from under both of their clutches and ripped the tape from the top in one fell swoop.

"Since I had to bring it all the way from outside, I'm looking inside." Huffing and sitting back with her arms crossed over her chest, Lyla glared at us while Blair and I took the pounds of packing paper out of the box. "What could possibly be this important that it takes ten pounds of paper to cover it?" I asked my sister and she continued to glare as we finally reached the bottom of the packing.

Blair pulled out the item and held it in front of her with a weird look. "It's a rag?" She asked with skepticism and I burst into loud laughter again as Lyla wrenched it out of Blair's hands and narrowed her eyes. "It's my baby-blanket, Blair, and you'd do well not to insult it again."

"How have I never seen that before?" Blair asked Lyla while looking on as she smoothed out the creases in the small, frayed blanket that Lyla had kept with her since she was born.

"I've never taken it to school and I keep it hidden during breaks. I can't have anyone seeing it. That would look so weird." Lyla said with a roll of her eyes. That's when it occurred to me; sure, I had seen Lyla with her blanket for years but that was because I grew up with her. If Blair had never seen it, then that would mean that Remus had never seen it either. "Oh, stop looking at me like that you all! It's embarrassing. I can't show Remus my baby blanket. I'm supposed to have my life together and be grown up and ready to be a mother. Not have a blanket that I can barely sleep without."

Sending my sister a look, I reached out and flicked her shoulder just hard enough to sting. "Lyla, you have got to be kidding me. You two are getting _married_. He's going to find out you have it eventually." I said while sitting back against the bed and bringing my knees up to rest my chin on them. She huffed while Blair examined the packing that had been used in the box.

"I just want to say first and foremost that you're crazy for putting all this packaging in the box. And second, you need to man up. If Sirius could show Alexa Captain Awesome and she still wanted to sleep with him I think that Remus will be able to understand you having a baby-blanket." Blair said while standing from her seated position and holding a hand out to help Lyla up. Lyla bit her lip and started to chew on it before taking Blair's outstretched hand and standing up.

"Captain Awesome is a cute bear, Blair! And have you seen Sirius's body? Of course I want to sleep with him." I rolled my eyes but sent my sister a smile. "And Remus is probably going to love and fawn over you even more when he finds out that you have a blanket because you're just so darn cute." I said in a cutesy voice and scrunched my face up like I was talking to a little baby.

Pushing me on the shoulder, Lyla let out a huff and took her blanket back from Blair before walking towards the door. "Well, are you coming or what?" Lyla asked and with a start, Blair and I filed after her down the hallway and into the kitchen/living area. Going behind the bar and wrapping her hands around Remus' waist from behind where he was stirring something into a pot, she started whispering to him while Blair and I walked in front of the television that Sirius and James were still sat in front of.

Ignoring their outcries as we blocked the game from the television, Blair reached back and turned the TV off, much to the outrage of the two ebony haired boys in front of us. "Blair! What do you think you're doing?" Sirius called out while reaching for the remote on the end table. I jumped into action, grabbing it before he could and he rolled his eyes with a scowl while wrapping his hands around my waist and pulling me down on the couch across his lap to forcefully take the remote from my hands.

Struggling and laughing at the same time, I tossed the remote to Blair who caught it and slipped it into the waistband of her leggings. Then putting her hands on her hips, she glared at James until he raised his hands in defeat and sat on the arm of the couch as Lyla and Remus came to sit down on the other chairs in the living room. Finally sitting up and letting loose the last of my giggles, I settled in the middle of James and Sirius, my legs draped across Sirius' lap as he rested his hands on my knees. Hopefully, no one would notice.

"Well, I have to be honest with you all." Lyla started and then drew her hands from behind her back, exposing her baby blanket to everyone. "I have been hiding the fact that I have a baby blanket."

"So does Alexa," James pointed out helpfully and Blair reached over and thwacked him on the head. "Uhm, _ouch_." He said with a huff before crossing his arms and Lyla rolled her eyes.

"Yes, but I've been hiding it from everyone. Doesn't that matter?" She asked in exasperation and Remus laughed while pulling her back over to sit in his lap. With a sigh, she went to him and he rolled his own eyes while planting a kiss on her cheek. "So what if you're embarrassed by it? Remember how crazy Sirius went when we exposed Captain Awesome? Those were admittedly much more embarrassing times then this. I mean you're a girl for Merlin's sake. It's perfectly fine. In fact, it's adorable."

"I resent the fact that a grown boy having a teddy bear is not adorable." Sirius said over Lyla's laughter and I knocked him lightly with my knee. Raising an eyebrow, he squeezed his hand around the top of my kneecap, causing me to squeal out at the ticklish sensation. With that, Lyla's tension and nervousness was broken and James reached over and grabbed the remote from Blair's waist before switching the television back on.

The announcers began to speak quickly, detailing the games' every moment and Blair opened her mouth to protest when James pulled her into his lap and kissed her quickly. Silenced at last, she settled into his lap as we all continued to watch the game together. Turning to look up at Sirius' face, I smiled slightly when I saw him watching the television in rapt attention. His thumbs were rubbing circles into my bare legs and I tried to contain my shivers.

Sensing my gaze on him, he looked down and smiled at me, before winking and causing me to blush as he turned his attention back to his surroundings. Settling into the couch more, I let myself lean against him a little bit forgetting that everyone around us could see us. Remembering my friends, I looked around the room as it started to get dark outside. Remus and Lyla had their arms wrapped around each other as they sat in the deep chair and ottoman setting while Blair rested her head on James' shoulder with her eyes closed as his hands worked circles around her back.

Everything was perfect and wonderful and back to normal; or at least as much as it could be. Smiling slightly, I let my eyes close and snuggled closer to Sirius' warmth. After another hour or so, Remus got up to finish making dinner, Lyla went back to the bedroom to gather laundry up so she could go downstairs in the apartment complex and do some household business and James switched the television off to take Blair and lay her down in Lyla and Remus' room so she could sleep a bit more.

Alone at last, I pulled my legs off Sirius' lap and sat on my knees so we could look at each other. "I think I'm going to tell Blair and Lyla about us." I said with a serious look on my face. He quirked his head to the side and then bit his lip.

"So does that mean whatever has been happening isn't going to be able to happen any longer?" He asked. I tried not to focus too much attention on his mouth as he raked his teeth over his lips but I failed epically before having to look away.

"It just means that I'm going to tell them so I don't feel paranoid or guilty whenever I want to be around you." I told him, smiling at Remus who turned around to grab something from the refrigerator and saw us talking. "Besides," I said while turning back to look at him. With a shove, I pushed him back into the couch cushions before getting up and standing with my hands on my hips. "I'm pretty positive that you've already told James and Remus and Peter."

He spluttered for a moment before sighing and getting up from the couch with a groan. Stretching his arms above his head and twisting his back, he let out another strained noise before ruffling my hair and going into the kitchen. "Remus, my friend, I think my blood sugar is dropping dangerously low. What are we grubbing on this fine evening?"

"You can't ignore me forever." I told him as I pulled up a chair to the counter and joined Remus and Sirius. "Who's ignoring who?" James asked as he put his hands on my shoulders and squeezed before taking a seat next to me.

"Probably Sirius and Alexa ignoring each other." Lyla said while trekking out of the hallway with a basket full of clothes. Immediately, all three boys leapt towards her to take the basket, but she fixed them with a look. "I'm not an invalid. This basket weighs less that two pounds. I'll bite your hands off and use your blood to repaint the baby's room if you take one move towards me." She said in a bland voice and they backed off as quickly as they had come.

Smiling, Lyla made her way towards the door, grabbing the detergent from the closet as she did so. "I'll come help with the laundry, Lyls." Sirius said and I glared at him before he winked and made his way out the door.

"Baby." I said and James and Remus looked at me before smiling. "So, boys, has Mr. Black been divulging any juicy secrets lately." By the way they both blushed and began to do pointless tasks around the kitchen, I knew I had my answer.

* * *

><p><em>Sirius's Point of View<em>

"Are you positive they're not coming back anytime soon, Remus?" Peter asked as he fidgeted around the small island in the kitchen of Remus and Lyla's oh so humble abode. I rolled my eyes at our naïve little friend and then slapped my hand on the counter.

"Alexa said they were going to get haircuts, their nails done, and then going to the movies. Trust in me, Wormy, we've got at least five hours of time before they infiltrate the house again." I said before leaning back in my seat, glad for once that the wooden barstools we were sitting on had backs. This place was a swanky upgrade from James' slightly off smelling bedroom. Or Remus's – sure to be occupied by rabid ants – backyard.

Rolling his eyes at me, James began the oath and we got down to brass tacks very quickly. "So, we need to get the Bachelor party down on lock and then we need to decide what you two are doing for your honeymoon." He gave Remus a hard look and then cut across him as he opened his mouth to speak. "Then, when all the good things are finished, we need to talk about Sirius and make sure that he and Alexa get their heads out of each other's asses."

It was silent for a moment as we all looked at James in confusion. "That was probably not the best metaphor in the book, Prongs, mate." Remus amended before James shrugged. Wondering why we had to talk about me, not that I really minded, I mean, come on, I'm pretty attractive, I raised my hand to interject.

"May I ask why we need to talk about my quasi-relationship with Alexa?" Thinking it over, James put a finger to his chin and then gave me a grin.

"No, I don't believe so. Now, on to the Bachelor party. Sirius, what do you have planned in ways of before the party?" He shot me a look and I rolled my eyes at my best mate before thinking of what I had planned.

"Well, we have to go somewhere that the girls will not show up at because I know for a fact that they are trying to go somewhere called Jigsaw, which is apparently a muggle pub in London or something. And they're going to a spa. So I figured it's a good thing we're not girls like that." I took a breath and then continued once I made sure everyone was still listening. You never know with us Marauders; we weren't known as the most studious in the bunch. "And since the party isn't the night before the wedding, we can get Reems here as drunk as we like. So we'll do a little party pre-gaming here first and then around ten we'll leave and go to the Headless Horsemen, which is a magical pub just outside of Diagon Alley."

"And if I don't want to drink?" Remus asked while grinning. My plan was ace; he knew he didn't have a choice.

"Then we'll hook you to an IV and put it directly into your bloodstream." I responded and James cheered while rocking back and forth on his chair. "Sounds like we've got all of that ready. Pete, anything to add?" James asked the skittish boy and he shook his head quickly before we continued on.

"I don't really want to talk about the honeymoon, you guys. Lyla said she'd rather us just save our money and go somewhere nice once we have the time later on in life." Remus said while looking at his fingertips. My heart went out to my friend, but I knew that we were going to turn that frown upside down in just a few minutes.

"Well, that's all nice and good," James said before standing up slightly and pulling some papers out of his back pocket, "But we had a little something else in mind."

At Remus' look, I snatched the papers from the counter so he couldn't look at them yet. "What is the one place that Lyla wants to go if she could get the chance?"

"Italy, why?" Remus asked, more than a little suspicious now.

"And later in life, you would take her if you got the money and the chance, right?" James asked.

"Of course. What are you all on about?" Crossing his thin arms, Remus narrowed his eyes at us.

"Well, later on in life you and Lyla will probably have ten kids and will not be foisting them off on us to babysit while you go traipsing around Italy. So why not just go now?" I told him and the werewolf looked between the three of us with a look of extreme confusion on his face.

Letting out a huff of annoyance, he threw his hands up and basically shouted at us from his side of the table. "What are you talking about? Tell me!" Laughing, I threw the papers across the table to him and he snatched them out of the air before opening the envelope. "You're out of your damn mind if you think I'm taking this."

"Unfortunately, you don't have a choice. Especially since there are seven tickets in there and we'll be using five of them whether or not you go." James said with a smirk so wide it was a miracle he didn't split his face open. "And don't even bother ignoring them. They've already been paid for."

"How did you even do this?" Remus asked in disbelief. "The house, the honeymoon, I can't take this stuff with no way to repay you all." I could tell he was working to hold back his emotions, but this close to the full moon I could tell it was taking a lot. So like the good friend I was, I stood up (going against Rule 76 of the code) and went around the side to give my best friend a man hug. James joined me, then Peter, and soon we were all huddled together talking at once.

"Parents pitched in." "Least we could do." "Not a big deal." We were all on the verge of very manly, very dramatic and tough tears when the door to the apartment swung open and Alexa, Blair, and Lyla peered in. They stared at us incredulously for a minute before we all sprung apart, James hastily slipping the code off of the island.

"I'm not sure I even want to know." Alexa said with slight laugh in her voice and I watched almost perplexed as she flipped her bangs out of her eyes. She was literally the bane of my existence when she did things like that. I don't even think she knew that I wanted her as my girlfriend again. Snapping out of it, I took the tickets that were now on the counter and tossed them to Blair.

She fumbled for a second and then got a good hold on them. Smiling when she saw what they were, she turned her doe eyes towards Lyla and held them out to her. "Lyla, since Remus is too blubbery right now to tell you himself," She pulled out a plane ticket and held them to Lyla, who took her hands from her pregnant belly and grabbed the ticket. "I'll tell you myself."

With a shriek, Lyla turned to all of us and then immediately burst into tears. Hopefully of joy, but you really never know when it comes to pregnant women.

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><p>Author's Note: Well, here is Chapter 5. Hopefully you all enjoyed the fact that it wasn't such a long wait this time and that the chapter was already pre-written and ready to go. I was going to wait a few days longer but instead I was in a very excited mood (got all A's on my final grades this semester and am now finally a Junior, 2 more years left!) so I uploaded it. Again, let us know what you think and up next is the BachelorBachelorette party, so get ready!

Disclaimer: We don't own it. And I don't think that will change any time soon.

Xoxo,

ProngsFlower and Amulet Girl 5


	6. Rule 34: Invitations

AmuletGirl AN: Hello good people! We are so sorry for the long wait! And I know we practically say that every chapter, but we truly do mean it. Thank you to all of those who stay with us even with our erratic writing habits, we truly appreciate you all. As always, reviews are encouraged and appreciated but in no way are mandatory. Enjoy the chapter and we hope you all had a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year!

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><p><em>Rule 34: When inviting someone new to the group, it is unfavorable to try and curry favor with the new member unless said new member has already expressed favor towards an existing group member before being added into the group.<em>

_Alexa's POV_

"We look so freaking hot that it is literally insane." Looking at Blair in the full-length mirror, I made a little twirl, watching as my black, mini-skirt flared out around me. I tucked my strappy white tank top into my skirt again, teetering on my glittery black pumps. Unbuttoning her cream colored blazer, Blair smoothed her hands down her gray high-waisted shorts and pale pink sequined tank top. "This is literally not a lie, you all. I feel like I could take advantage of someone tonight." Kicking her nude booties at her reflection in a cheerleader move, she winked at herself and then went to grab something from the bathroom.

"Damn, Lyla!" I heard my friend's voice echo down the retro hallway of the hotel we were staying at for the bachelorette party and then teetered down the way to where Blair was watching Lyla finish curling her hair. "Holy hell, mama." I let out a whistle as my sister rolled her eyes and then stood to full height.

Standing in a v-neck dress with no sleeves and a short hemline, her brown sparkling sandals making her almost my height, my sister looked like every young bride should. Most of all, the dress made her growing assets…well, they didn't look shabby, coming from a purely unbiased source. Anyway as she blinked her enhanced lashes at her reflection, I looked at each of us in the mirror.

We had all had our make-up professionally done today at the spa that my mother had booked for us, paid for by my gracious aunts who wanted my sister to have a fantastic time even though she wouldn't be partaking in any of the extra curricular activities. Blair's makeup had been left very natural, apart from her winged eyeliner that was dark and bold with a metallic black added to the end. Lyla had her make-up with lots of gold and brown with just a hint of a reddish bronze to compliment it all together.

Letting the make-up artist go all out with my own makeup, I blinked my eyes and watched as the navy and green played with the color in my eyes. My own dark eyeliner made the whites of my eyes stand out and the soft pink of my cheeks made me look healthy for a change. Tilting my hair back and forth, I watched in amusement as my straightened hair, now close to reaching my elbows when not in curls, fell like a wave. Then stopping, I looked up and smiled at my friends. "I agree with Blair; we look like badasses."

"Well, what are we doing in here looking at ourselves in the mirror? Let's get out there and get this party started!" As Blair walked over to the gramophone, Lyla sauntered her way out into the sunken living room of the hotel suite and began to dance around in her high heels, swaying to the music before being joined by Blair. Grabbing a few of the bottles I had stolen from Sirius' private stash the last time I was over at the Potter's residence, I made my way into the kitchen type area which had been stocked for our arrival.

Sure, there were only the three of us tonight, but we had wanted Lyla's Bachelorette party to be as fun and real as possible, even though the bride-to-be couldn't drink or anything. "Ladies," I called over the music and both girls swung to face me, their eyes alight with the anticipation of the evening I had planned for us. "I'd like to propose a toast to this very momentous occasion in Young Lyla's life."

Rolling her eyes, but smiling at me, Lyla grabbed the glass of sparkling grape juice I handed her while Blair took one of the shot glasses of tequila as well as a wedge of lime from the small porcelain bowl I had set the pieces in. Raising each of our glasses, we all clinked them as I made the toast. "To the best sister and mother around, and to a happy marriage full of love and," I paused as they both looked at me expectantly. "And, well, happiness!" We all cheered while Blair and I did shots and Lyla downed her cider like it was the real deal.

"When I have this little child, the first thing I'm going to do is make you all watch while I sit back and take shots." I laughed at my sister before setting my lime wedge on the counter top. Blair made a sour face before setting the fruit down as well and we looked towards Lyla for instruction. "I would like to know what we should be doing for my very insane party." She mused while gesturing around the streamer-ed room. Decorated in pink and purple and blue and silver banners saying 'Bride to be" and 'Number one Bride' and the like, the room looked like a confetti canon had blown up in it. Very tastefully, of course.

"Hmm. Tonight we shall," I was interrupted as through the telephone on the wall began to trill very loudly. "Bloody hell." I murmured while Blair turned the music down and Lyla poured herself another glass of juice. "Hello?" I spoke into the receiver and held the earpiece up so I could listen in.

"Yes, Ms. Parker? This is the front desk calling." A short voice staccato through the phone and I held it out for a minute before speaking again.

"Uhm, hello, front desk?" I said with curiosity coloring my voice, making my statement seem more like a question than intended. "This is Ms. Parker speaking."

"Very good. There are two visitors here to see you. They say that they were invited to a private function being held in your room for the night." Trying to think about who this could possibly be, and praying to Merlin that Blair didn't order strippers like she had jokingly (or at least I thought) said she was going to do, I told the woman to send the visitors up and then walked over to the doors of the suite.

"Blair, I swear to all the beings above, if you ordered any type of dancer or," Swinging the door open as a knock sounded, I let out a surprised, and not entirely happy noise. "Lydia."

"I don't believe I ordered Lydia to the party, Alexa, but that was a good try. Now who's at the door?" Blair asked while lining up another tequila shot. Looking at my younger cousin with disdain in my eye, I rolled my heavily lined eyes before walking over and stealing Blair's shot. Downing the bitter liquid quickly, I sucked on the wedge of lime I had abandoned before and fought against my gag reflex. I really wished we'd gotten salt before hand.

"Lydia is at the door, dear Blair." Nodding over to where our cousin was standing in her white stilettos, short red dress, and curly hair, I slammed the shot glass back on the counter. Could we never do anything in this family that didn't get gate crashed by this little home-wrecker? Sighing, I watched as Lyla tilted her head and peered at Lydia.

Straightening back up, Lyla walked back over to the music and turned it up before smiling at our confused cousin. "Since you're already here, you might as well stay and make sure nothing bad happens to any of us tonight. It's my party, and I won't be the one babysitting." Then with a large smile, she shouted 'Monica' and raced towards the door as carefully as she could in her enormous heels.

Coming around the corner and brushing past a bewildered Lydia, I peeked over Lyla's head and smiled when I saw my oldest cousin. "I didn't think you were going to be able to come!" I said while hugging my cousin and laughing when she pulled out a bottle of Whiskey from her small, obviously enlarged on the inside, clutch.

"Well, my husband got to go out with his friends, so who says I can't go out with my cousin for her bachelorette party?" With a wink, she shut the door and then made her way to the kitchen while setting her bottle down and hugging Blair as well. Looking over to Lyla, I shrugged and linked arms with her before joining the rest of the girls in another round of shots.

"Now that we are all fairly on our way to being inebriated," Blair said with a laugh as she took a large swig of soda to chase away the burning aftertaste in her mouth. "Will you please tell us what the plan is for the night? I'm having as much fun as we always do, but when we look this nice, we need to go out on the town."

"And that we shall do, my good friend." Turning towards everyone, I put my hands on my hips and smiled. "Now originally, I had told Sirius that we were going to a muggle club called Jigsaw just outside of London."

"Are you out of your damn mind right now?" Lyla asked as her eyes bugged out of her pretty little face. "That place is where you go to get taken advantage of and mugged. I really do not want to be killed before my wedding and baby get here." She said in an outraged voice and I couldn't help but laugh at her face.

Blair laughed along as well before adding her own opinion. "I'm not going to lie to you, Alexa. That place is literally a playground for the seedy and shady people of the world." Lydia and Monica remained quiet and stood watching me while I continued to laugh at all of their faces.

"Which is precisely why we won't be going there. I have to tell Sirius stupid shit like that so he won't think we're going to be going anywhere that is totally awesome. I have to win for the best party. It's not an option at this point." While everyone rolled their eyes, I adjusted the necklace that lay on my shirt and waited for them to stop judging.

Crossing her own eyes, Lydia looked at me like I was an idiot talking in a room of geniuses. Newsflash: you're not cool. "Then where exactly do you plan on going?"

Smiling widely, I looked to Lyla and said, "The Headless Horseman." Her eyes widened and then she too smiled in appreciation while getting up and finishing off the rest of her juice. "What are we waiting for then? I've been wanting to go to that club since I heard about it."

"Lyla, you wanted to go to a club?" Monica asked in a surprised voice and Lyla looked at her in shock.

"Monica, this is not simply a club. This is where all the high-class people go to hang out and get their picture taken for the daily prophet. You have to be on a list to even get in the door. How you pulled this off is beyond me." She said while turning towards me and pulling me into a hug.

"James's mom knew one of the people that works security there and he pulled a few strings to get us on the list. It really wasn't even my doing." As we all gathered up our few things we were taking with us, I laid the rest of the plan on them as well. "We're also going to eat dinner in the hotel before we go. Can't have us all clubbing on an empty stomach. Besides, the car won't be arriving until around eleven to take us anyway."

Making one last look in the mirror, I pursed my lips before walking towards the door and shutting the light off before stepping into the hallway and closing the door. Then walking towards the elevator, I stepped in and we closed the gate before pressing the button that would take us to the main floor to where we would grab dinner. The bell dinged a few floors later, and as we stepped out, a group of men dressed and suits stepped on, glancing at us as we walked by. Turning back around, we caught one more glimpse of them as the gate shut and Blair threw them a wink as it did so.

"This is going to be one fantastic night." She said with a smile and I rolled my eyes before linking arms with her and catching up with Monica, Lydia, and Lyla who were waiting for us by the restaurant's door.

After a lovely dinner and drinks, as well as a few more glasses of champagne and liquor in the car, we were all feeling very loose as we got to the Headless Horseman. Stepping out of the car and swinging my legs around so I wouldn't flash everyone my underwear, I stood a bit shakily on the curb and smiled at the bright flashing lights on the top o the club's roof. Linking hands with Lyla who was climbing out after me, I bounced around a bit with my excited sister.

"This is going to be so much bloody fun!" Lyla said as we moved over and waited for Lydia, Monica, and finally Blair to get out of the car. With smiles, we all made our way to the front door and the short line of the club. We were all chatting loudly, while Lydia tried to keep us all from falling over, when I saw a particularly familiar green button down shirt. One that I had forced Sirius to buy while we went shopping one day.

To make things even more peculiar, the shirt was attached to a torso the led up to a neck and head of extremely shaggy black hair that I had been telling him to cut for weeks. "You've got to be kidding me." I said out loud, loud enough, it turned out, for most of the line to turn and look at us. Including Sirius, Remus, James, and Peter, all of who were looking at us with shock on their faces.

"What are you doing here?" Sirius asked in a shocked voice, looking me up and down and then turning to look at the rest of us as well. "And why the hell are you dressed like you're open for business?"

"I'm going to ignore that statement because I'm sure you've had plenty to drink tonight, Sirius." Lyla said while putting her hand on her hip and narrowing her eyes at Sirius. I rolled my own eyes at him while countering his question with one of my own.

"The real question is what are you all doing here? Did you all know that this is what I had planned for my party?" I said with a glare and James and Remus rolled their eyes at all of our antics. A fairly inebriated Blair smiled at James before giving in and wrapping her arms around his waist. "Who cares? Now I can dance with my boyfriend instead of finding random men to hang out with all night!" She said with a loud laugh.

James looked slightly shocked and then shook his head when he realized she was joking. After wrapping his arm around her waist, he shrugged at Sirius and Remus. "I don't really care. We can stay or go, but we're already both here and I'm pretty sure this is one time that putting competition aside would be the right thing to do. This is one of the hottest places to be right now."

"I'm not particularly sure I want my fiancé to be at this club right now, though, seeing as she is carrying my child." Remus said to Lyla, who raised an eyebrow at him before crossing her arms over her chest.

"I don't think you have the right to make that choice for me, Remus. I'm a grown woman, this is my party, and I'll go where I want to." With that, she made her way to the front of the disinterested line, Blair and James following while talking to each other and laughing every once in awhile. Lydia, Monica, Remus, Sirius, and I watched while Lyla gave the bounce a coy smile and he flashed a large set of white teeth at her before opening the rope and allowing her in.

"Bloody hell." Remus said while raking a hand over his face and stalking in after Lyla. Not, however, before sparing me a glance that read he was very mad at me for allowing her to come out. Feeling myself deflate slightly, I gestured Lydia and Monica ahead, telling Lydia to make sure no one got out of hand.

Turning to Sirius, I crossed my arms over my chest before looking him in the eye. "How'd you know we were going to be here?" I asked him while raising my eyebrows. He rolled his eyes before reaching for my elbow and pulling me closer to him, which I did after stumbling slightly trying to resist. In these heels it was just easier to not be mad.

"At this point, I have no clue how we ended up at the same place, just that I'm slightly buzzed and you look very nice in your clothes. Also that I want to dance with you." He tilted his head slightly to look at me with a smirk, and I felt my cheeks flare as the blood rushed to my head and my stomach exploded into butterflies.

Taking a deep breath, I let my curiosity slip away before taking his hand and pulling him into the club with me. Going from the bright outside world into the dark smokiness of the club was a shock to my senses and I strained my eyes slightly to see inside the darkness. There was a DJ up at the front of the dance floor, where people were dancing around and throwing their hands around. Along the sides of dance floor there were booths full of people as well as tall tables with stools where women and men sat and watched the partygoers or sipped drinks and talked. Then lit up by neon lighting, not as bright as outside, but still lighting a side of the room, was the bar. Spotting James and Blair at one of the booths closest to the bar, I dragged Sirius with me and scooted into the booth.

"Where is the rest of the crew?" Sirius asked taking a seat next to me and placing a hand on my knee under the table. Even in her drunken state, I could tell Blair did not miss the move. Raising an eyebrow at Sirius, he shrugged his shoulder and smirked back at her.

As her eyes lit up, she gestured towards the dance floor in answer and then pointed at me. "You and me, to the bar, right now." She sounded less than menacing than I'm sure she would have liked, but I followed her anyway, needing a drink and getting the thrill of climbing over Sirius and making him sweat a little bit. When we were safely seated at a barstool and waiting for our drinks to arrive, she turned to me, full Cheshire grin on her face. "When were you going to tell Lyla and I that you and Sirius were shagging each other senseless again?"

My face flushed again and I took a large drink of the mixed cocktail the bartender had just sat down in front of me. "Because I knew you would react like this and Lyla would react in a way that she was happy but also slightly disapproving. And I didn't want to tell anyone. It's kind of embarrassing, isn't it?"

Contemplating this for a moment, Blair then looked at me and shrugged her shoulder. "I mean, you love each other, that much is clear. And you can't retaliate and say that you don't have some sort of feelings for him, even though you two are stupidly broken up right now. So why should it be embarrassing?"

"Stupidly broken up? Are you saying that you all think we should have stayed together through everything?" I felt dumbfounded as Blair played with the rim of her pink and orange cocktail. She looked around the bar for a minute before I finished off my drink and gestured for the bartender to send over another.

"Look, Alex, I'm not saying that you all haven't had hardships, but you belong together. And no one should keep you two apart; not even yourself." With that, she dug a few Knuts and a sickle out of her pockets and then we made our way back to the table. Trying not to let my head spin from the words Blair had just thrown on me and the drinks that we had just put away, I smiled at my sister, Remus, James, and Monica who were all sitting at the table we had been at.

"Where's Lydia and Peter?" I asked while I sat my glass down on the table and looked around the club. I couldn't see them until James pointed to one of the writhing couples off to the side in the corner. Looking thoroughly drunk and like he was having the time of his life, Peter Pettigrew was dancing with my younger cousin, who I knew for a fact was not drunk and who looked to be enjoying herself anyway.

Now, don't get me wrong. Peter is a nice guy with a semi-sense of humor and good friends. He is not, however, someone that I would want to get sweaty with on a dance floor. Especially not if I was sober enough to remember it the next day. Speaking of dancing, I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Sirius grinning down at me. Tilting his head down so he could speak in my ear, he asked, "Want to do a much better, less spastic version of dancing?"

Looking over at Remus, Lyla, and Monica who were all chatting and then Blair and James who were snogging in the booth, I took his hand and nodded my head. "As long as you manage to keep me up and walking, I think we'll have a blast." Then, I grabbed Lyla's freehand in my own. "Why don't we all get out there on the dance floor and show this place how to dance Hogwarts style?" I said with a smile and Lyla rolled her eyes at me before dragging Remus up with her. Remus, not wanting to be the only boy dancing with just Sirius as a wingman, grabbed James' collar and drug both he and Blair from the booth.

"I'll pass on this one." Monica said with a smile before settling back into her chair more. I shrugged and we made our way to the dance floor, the original crew back in business again. Dancing with Sirius, I put my hands over his shoulders and leaned forward to speak in his ear. "Want to know one of my favorite parts about you?"

Looking at me with a raised eyebrow, he tilted his head to the side and slid his hands down my waist so they rested on my hips. As we swayed back and forth, not necessarily in time with the music, I touched his slightly parted lips with my index finger. "You have perfectly straight, white teeth. I envy them."

"You may be partially insane." He told me, putting his forehead to mine and then very slowly leaning his head down to capture my lips with his own. Sliding my tongue along his teeth, I wrapped my arms tighter around his neck and pulled myself closer as Sirius tightened his hold on my hips, sliding them up my body a bit more and pulling me up towards him. When we parted, I caught my breath, feeling my friends' eyes on me. "I think we have an audience." He whispered against my damp neck, sweat beginning to coat my back.

Putting my hand to my lips, I casually wiped them off and then bit my bottom lip slightly. Turning to face the rest of my friends, I noticed that Blair and James had taken this moment to thoroughly remove themselves from any sorts of human activity and were flailing around the dance floor like robots. I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped my lips as I watched them for a moment. Then, I turned back to look at Lyla who, instead of a stern look on her face, looked like she was going to yell in joy.

"Finally, you two have pulled your heads out of your asses!" She shouted across the thumping music at me. I laughed loudly as Sirius wrapped his hands around my from behind and smirked over my shoulder. "Technically I still haven't asked her to be my girlfriend again." He remarked and Lyla just rolled her eyes before Remus pulled her back towards him and started to dance with her again. From the slight glaze in his eyes, I could tell he was drunk.

As it should be, I thought as I pulled Sirius off the dance floor with me and fought my way through the crowd to sit at the table that had been occupied by Monica. "Thank Merlin! I've had to use the loo for ages now!" She cried while leaping up and hurrying to the loo without a second glance. Not being able to contain my giggles, I slid into the booth and then curled myself into Sirius' side, draping my tired legs across his under the table.

"So, if you're not going to ask me to be your girlfriend right now, then can I ask you to be my boyfriend?" I said with my best coy expression I could manage. Running his fingers across my exposed collarbone, Sirius tilted my chin back with his forefinger and then smiled widely at me.

"No, I don't suppose so. If you asked I'd probably say no." He was smiling but I felt the confusion and warning signs blaring in my ears through my drunken haze.

"Excuse me?" I stuttered and Sirius laughed his bark-like laugh before leaning down and kissing me quickly on the lips. Then, nuzzling my neck and placing a kiss right below my jawbone, he pulled back and looked at me with a slight fire in his eyes. I felt myself flush just looking at him.

"Because, this time around, it's going to be perfect." He said and the flush that had taken over my bodies intensified and made my insides melt. Flinging my arms around him and squeezing him tightly, I felt a huge sense of relief that I hadn't felt since we broke up in April. Even though we weren't technically back together, everyone knew. And we were well on our way to making this right again.

Pulling back, I looked him in the eye and smiled for real this time; a true smile of happiness, nothing else bothering me. "Take me home?" I said feeling like I was walking on air. He nodded his head before taking my hand and then, finally, we left together.

* * *

><p><em>Lyla's POV<em>

"Well, I must say, Mr. Lupin, you are a tad bit drunk this evening," I joked, as Remus held me tightly, stumbling around the dance floor.

"Well, I must say, soon to be Mrs. Lupin, that you are a tad bit not drunk," he said. I just laughed at his rebuttal. I didn't get to see Remus like this often, especially as of late, but he just seemed so carefree and happy. There was no worry on his face, just pure joy. Remus tucked a stray hair behind my ear and smiled at me. "I am the luckiest guy in the whole world, did you know that?"

"And why is that?" I coyly asked.

"Because I have you," he said simply. He leaned down and placed a loving kiss on my lips, lingering there for a moment.

"Good answer," I told him with a smile. "I need to get some air, want to come with me?" Remus nodded his head and I took his hand leading him toward the door. As we made our way through the throngs of people, I noticed that Sirius and Alexa had disappeared. I felt a rush of happiness for my sister. Things were finally starting to work out for her and she and Sirius would finally be back together soon!

Once outside, I breathed in the cool summer air that washed over my hot skin. I welcomed the cool air and wiped the slight covering of sweat that had formed on the back of my neck. I leaned up against the wall of the club and rested my hands on my stomach. Remus slid next to me and I could feel his eyes on me. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm great," I told him, "I've honestly never felt better." The normalcy of the evening was so refreshing. It was the first time in a long time that I felt even a semblance of my old self.

"If you want to head home, we can head out right now," he told me, wanting to make sure I wasn't over doing it.

"Absolutely not," I said definitively. "Tonight is all about having fun and letting off some steam; I'm not going to cut that short."

"Oh, don't worry about that Lyla," he told me. "I'll take you home and if I feel like it, I'll come back and meet back up with the boys." At this, I pushed myself off of the wall and turned toward Remus.

"And why is it okay that you stay out tonight, but I can't?" I questioned. "Last time I checked, this was my hen night." Remus put his hands up, signaling me to slow down for a second.

"Lyla, I'm just thinking of you," he tried to explain. "You're nearly five months pregnant, you shouldn't be staying out to all hours of the night. We're about to have a baby, we can't do whatever we want anymore."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "No, what you mean is that I can't do whatever I want anymore," I said, my voice rising slightly. "Is this how it's going to be, Remus? Me at home with the baby while you go out doing whatever you please?"

"Now, you know I didn't mean it like that," Remus said, sounding irritated. "I was merely pointing out that lifestyle changes are going to have to be made once we are married and once the baby arrives."

"Lifestyle changes for who?" I questioned him. "I understand that I'm not going to be able to go out every night and party when the baby arrives, but just because we are getting married and having a child doesn't mean that I am going to become this perfect, submissive little housewife. I may be carrying this child, Remus, but we are in this together."

"You are just being ridiculous, now," he told me. "You know damn well that I am fully in this and that I in no way expect you to care for our baby on your own. This is just the pregnancy hormone talking."

"Is it?" I laughed slightly. "Then why did you suggest that I should go home while you stay out all night with your boys?"

"Okay, Lyla, you got me!" Remus exclaimed dramatically. "To be honest, I don't entirely feel comfortable having my pregnant-soon-to-be-wife staying in a club all night. I worry about you. I worry that you're going to have another episode like you did in Hogsmeade. I worry that some random person is going to try to hurt you. So, yes, I would rather have you safe at home than have you hanging around sleazy guys in a bar all night."

I shook my head as he spoke. "This isn't about making sure I'm safe, this is about your insecurities," I told him. Maybe it was the hormones acting up, but I could almost feel the anger bubbling up inside of me. "Ever since Lucas, anytime that we are around other guys besides the Marauders, you get all weird as if you're just waiting for me to jump into some other guy's arms. If you haven't noticed, I'm sort of committed to you." I pointed to my stomach when I spoke this last sentence.

"That is bullshit, and you know it," Remus said angrily. "This has nothing to do with Lucas. And for you to even think that just shows how much you truly know about me."

"You know, Remus," tears welling up in my eyes, "you're right. After tonight, I have no clue who you really are because you clearly aren't the man that I thought I was going to be marrying." With that, I turned away from him and went to find Blair. I grabbed my purse that I had brought, told Blair that I was heading home and not to worry. She said that she'd be at the hotel with James if I needed anything and to be careful.

When I exited the club once again, Remus was still out there standing in the same place. He moved to follow me as I walked down the street but I turned quickly toward him, stopping him right in his tracks. "Don't follow me, Lupin." I told him sternly. "I mean it." Remus just stood there and I turned my back to him and continued down the street. I didn't know where I was going to go, but I knew that I couldn't go back to our apartment.

As I walked away from the club, I had to force myself not to look back. I knew that if I looked back and saw Remus, I was going to completely lose it. When I had walked quite a good distance, I snuck a quick peek over my shoulder and saw that Remus had headed my warning and didn't follow me. I was wandering aimlessly, but deep down I knew where I was going to end up.

My feet stopped instinctively and I looked up and took in the sight of my old house. I had never seen it look more welcoming. All the lights were off except for a dull glow coming from the living room. I fingered the familiar house key that mother had insisted I keep and walked up the walkway to the big door. Opening the door as quietly as I could, I slipped inside and shut the door behind me.

I stepped further into the house and peeked into the living room. Sirius and Alexa were sitting on the couch, holding each other closely. I just smiled when I thought of those two finally getting back together. Neither of them had fully admitted that they were back together, but I could tell that they would be back to normal in no time. They finally could stop sneaking around and thinking that none of us knew, when we pretty much knew the entire time.

Not wanting to interrupt whatever was going on with them, I quickly snuck past the living room and headed up the stairs, making sure to skip over the particularly squeaky step at the top of the staircase. I also didn't want to have to explain why I showed up here in the middle of the night. Once I was safely closed up in Alexa's old room, and mine I dug through the dresser to find any sort of clothing that would fit me. I had left some clothes behind when I moved, but none of it fit me with my ever-growing abdomen. I finally discovered an old pair of sweatpants and an extremely oversized shirt and quickly changed out of the dress that I had adorned for the evening out.

When I moved out my parents had bought Alexa a new bed and had gotten rid of the old twin beds that we had slept on since we were young. Hoping Alexa wouldn't mind, I pulled the covers back and eased myself onto the bed. As I became more pregnant it became harder and harder to fall asleep. I could never get comfortable. I tossed and turned for a while before I finally fell asleep.

I woke up suddenly the next morning with a sharp intake of air. I stretched out my tight joints and rubbed my stomach as I shifted slightly in the bed. When I opened my eyes my heart skipped a beat at what I say. "Oh my goodness," I whispered, my hand to my chest as I say Alexa and Sirius sitting at the foot of the bed on either side of my legs. "What on earth are you two doing?" I questioned and I pulled myself up into a sitting position.

"I think we could ask you the same question," Sirius said, shaking his hair out of his eyes.

"You can only imagine my surprise when I ventured up to my room late last night only to find my bed otherwise occupied," Alexa said, very business-like. "And let me tell you, it's nearly impossible for me to share a bed with you anymore what with that baby bump of yours and the incessant tossing and turning." I gave Alexa an apologetic smile and she continued. "Now, dear sister, care to explain why you have taken residence in my bed?"

I looked down at my fingers and then back up at my sister and my friend. "Remus and I had a fight," I told them. "I couldn't go back to the apartment and I didn't know where else to go."

Alexa's face softened and she put her hand on my knee. "You are always welcome here, Lyls," she told me. "Now, tell us what happened."

I relayed the whole argument to them and saying it all again to myself and to others just made it that much more real. It was really easy for me to pretend that it hadn't happened until I actually told somebody else. "And then, I came here, saw you and Sirius in the living room and just decided to go to bed," I finished. "That brings us to now."

"Remus better check himself," Alexa said angrily. "How could he even say those things to you?"

I suddenly felt kind of bad for talking bad about Remus. "Well, in his defense, he was a little drunk," I offered.

"No, Lyls," Alexa said quickly, "Don't make excuses for him. He should have never said those things. He's made his bed and now he's got to lay in it." I looked to Sirius with a slight smile as Alexa went off on a slight tangent. "Sirius, you better talk to Remus and tell him to get his ass in gear."

"Yes dear," Sirius said, putting his hand on Alexa's, which was resting on the bed. Alexa pulled her hand away and began to blush furiously. Sirius smirked uncontrollably and I just shook my head at his antics.

"Anyways," Alexa said abruptly, standing up, "Sirius, if you'll please vacate the room, Lyla and I shall get ready for the coming day. Off you go." Alexa motioned toward the door and Sirius happily removed himself from the room.

"I'll just be downstairs with Evon and Gary," he informed us. Once Sirius had headed down the stairs, Alexa closed the door behind him and rejoined me on the bed.

"So, how are you really?" Alexa asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders at first. I was feeling all sort of different things and I honestly was unsure of the feelings that I was actually feeling and those that were because of the baby. "Well, I'm still pretty pissed at Remus and I'm honestly a little embarrassed about running here after the fight. I mean, we just moved in together, we're about to get married, we have a fight and the first thing I do is run home to Mommy and Daddy."

"Oh, Lyla," Alexa said, "You may be getting married but you're still only seventeen years old. You and Remus got into a fight and you freaked out about it. That's completely understandable. Any grown woman would probably have done the same thing you did if she were in the same situation. You and Remus have a home but this will always be your home too and you're always welcome here." I gave her a nod and then she pulled me into a hug. "Now, you hop in the shower and I'll find some clothes for you to wear."

I headed into the familiar bathroom and let the hot water soothe my stiff back and wash away the remnants of last night. Alexa had found an oversized white button-down shirt and some black leggings for me to wear and she had placed them neatly on the edge of her bed. After changing into the clean clothes and throwing my wet locks into a messy bun, I headed down to the living room where Alexa and Sirius were talking.

"Well, don't we look revived?" Alexa said with a smile. Sirius got up from his seat on the couch next to Alexa and moved to the chair positioned across from the couch. I took the previously occupied seat next to my sister and leaned against the back of the couch. "Mama and Dad left for work while you were in the shower, but they said that if you wanted to stay for dinner they'd really like to see you." I nodded my head, not really sure where I was going to be come dinnertime.

"So, Moony knows you came here last night, right?" Sirius questioned.

"No," I shook my head sheepishly. "I told him not to follow me and then I left."

Alexa's mouth dropped and she hit me on the arm. "Lyla!" she exclaimed. "You just left without telling anyone where you were going? For all he knows, you could be dead in a ditch somewhere."

"When I left, I honestly didn't even know where I was going," I said defending myself. "In hindsight, walking around that late at night by myself was probably not the best idea, but at the time I just had to get out of there and I just wanted to be alone. Plus, if I had told Remus where I was going, he would have come over here and wanted to talk about it."

"You guys are going to have to talk about it eventually," Alexa said matter-of-factly. "You guys are getting married in a week and should probably get all this sorted out before then." When I didn't say anything in response Alexa continued. "You are going to talk to Remus about this aren't you?"

"Well, of course I'm going to talk to him about it," I told her, putting her at ease. "I just don't know when. I have a week to figure it out," I joked. Sirius laughed slightly with me, but Alexa didn't think it was funny.

"What is with you?" Alexa asked. "All you and Remus used to want to do was to talk about your feelings and all that mess. Your feelings toward each other, your feelings toward others, others' feelings; you love talking about feelings, Lyla. Now, you don't want to talk about it at all? What's that about?"

I rolled my eyes at my sister and looked past her exaggerated comments about my love of feelings. "I don't know, Alexa," I said, not really wanting to go into the real reasons. Alexa and Sirius just both stared back at me, clearly telling me that we weren't going to move on from the subject until I gave them a legit answer. "Okay, I just feel like I can't talk to him sometimes. And he's driving me crazy with this whole pregnancy thing. I know he only means well, but he is smothering me," I vented.

"It's like I can't make a damn move anymore without him freaking out about something. I can't lift anything because he's afraid it might be too heavy and I'll put stress on the baby. He won't let me use magic because I could over do it and hurt the baby. And ever since the whole Lucas thing, he thinks I'm going to just run off and fall in love with the next bloke that I see." I bit my bottom lip slightly and tugged at the hem of my shirt.

"I love our baby and I'm doing everything to make sure nothing happens to it while it's still in there," I said pointing to my stomach, "But Remus has gone overboard. It's like he doesn't see me as his fiancée anymore, I'm just a baby incubator. And he's freaking out so much about money and what's going to happen once the baby gets here that he's missing being with me right now.

"I know I should be grateful that I have someone who's willing to do all these things for me, but I can't just sit and do nothing. I'm kind of a control freak and not being able to control my own life is killing me. The only think I could control were my thoughts. So, I kept them to myself and kind of shut him out because anytime I tried to talk to him about anything I would get nowhere. To answer your question, that is why I don't feel like talking to him."

Alexa and Sirius just looked at me, not really knowing what to say. "Damn," Sirius said, breaking the silence. "I am so glad I'm not Moony right now."

"Wow, that really sucks." Alexa said bluntly. "That truly is a downer." I nodded my head in agreement. "Can I do anything to help?" she offered. I could tell by her expression that she was hoping I would say no, I just smiled at her and shook my head. She let out a sigh of relief and patted my knee. "Well, let us know if we can do anything."

Quickly jumping at the opportunity to change the subject I said, "So, are you two back together? I notice that you guys are an 'us' again."

Alexa's eyes widened and she tensed up nervously. "I don't know what you're talking about," she denied. This was classic Alexa. "When I said 'us' I was just referring to our duties of Maid of Honor and Best Man; nothing more."

"Not yet, anyways," Sirius muttered under his breath. Alexa gave him a look and then turned back to me with a smile. "He means nothing by that," Alexa continued for him. "There is nothing going on."

"Well, you two seemed pretty cozy last night," I pointed out.

"Yeah, well you know what happens to me when I drink," she said defensively. "I do dumb shit! I make bad decisions and get way to flirty for my own good. I will literally flirt with anything. Sirius was there so I flirted with him but that's it. And the only reason he stayed here last night was because…" she paused here for a moment trying to figure out what to say next. "Because there was a slight chill late last night, Sirius didn't have a jacket and I didn't want him to catch a cold. Could you imagine if he had a runny nose during your wedding? Sniffling and sniffling all over the place. Annoying. I did you a favor. You're welcome."

"Thank you," I told her with a smile. Sirius was watching Alexa as she squirmed under the pressure and was laughing. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Alexa willingly got up from her seat and rushed to the door. When she opened the door I heard an all too familiar voice say, "Please tell me that Lyla is here." Sirius looked over at me obviously recognizing Remus's voice as well.

"Yeah, she's here." Alexa said leaning against the door. "She's right inside." I could hear Remus move to come in but Alexa stepped in his way. "I don't know if you should come in Reems, Lyla's not too happy with you right now."

"I understand that, Alex, but that's exactly why I need to talk to her," he said. "I need to make things right."

Alexa leaned her head back slightly so she could see me and gave me a questioning look. I knew I should give him a chance to explain, but I just didn't want to do it right then. I shook my head slowly at her and she nodded back. "Remus, I just don't think it's a good idea."

There was a silent pause for a moment and then Remus spoke again. "Lyls, sweetheart, I know you can hear me in there," he said. I looked over at the door picturing Remus on the porch. "You have to believe me that I am truly sorry. I just want to talk to you, please. I love you."

I pulled myself off the couch and slowly walked over to where Alexa was standing. I came around the other side of the door and saw Remus. He looked like he hadn't slept all night but when he saw me I could almost see the relief on his face. Alexa headed back into the living room and left Remus and I alone.

"Hey," he said with a smile. I gave him a slight smile and then took his hand bringing him into the house and closing the door behind him. I led him into the living room and Remus and Sirius exchanged a few words before we continued out into the backyard. We sat down on the patio chairs and just looked at each other. "I'm glad you're okay," he started. "I was worried about you last night when you didn't come home."

"I'm sorry I worried you," I told him. I honestly didn't know what else to say. Literally, in my mind, there was nothing. Just blank.

"Damn it, Lyla!" Remus said harshly. "What do I have to say to get you to forgive me; hell, to say more than ten words to me?" He ran his fingers through his hair like he always did when he was worried. "What is going on with you lately? You've been distant and I don't know what's going on in your head."

"I've been distant lately because you are suffocating me," I said frankly. "You are constantly on me about stuff with the baby and I feel like I can't even make a move without either running it by you first. I can't live like that Remus, I just can't. I like doing things for myself." I felt tears stinging my eyes but I kept them from falling. "And I don't know what you're expecting out of me as a mother and wife but if you expect me to be this 1950s house wife, I don't think I can do that."

Remus let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead. "I'm honestly sorry that I said any of that last night," he said. "I was a little drunk last night and I wasn't thinking clearly. I in no way expect you to be a certain kind of wife or mother, Lyls. If you love me and our daughter, that's good enough for me."

"You may not have meant it, but you still said it, and I can't help but think that maybe, subconsciously, that's what you want," I said, thinking out loud. "But that just scratches the surface, Remus. You have got to back off a bit with this whole protective thing. I cannot stand it anymore. I am not made of glass; I'm not going to break. I know my limits and I promise that I will not do anything that I think will put the baby or myself in danger."

"But what happened in Hogsmeade could happen again, and you didn't see that coming at all. You didn't realize there was a problem until after the fact," he argued.

"That was an extreme case, Remus," I pointed out. "Doing a simple spell to clean something up is not the same as casting several defensive spells right in a row. I know when to stop."

"See, I worry that you won't stop though," he confessed. "You are fiercely independent, Lyla, and that's one of the many things I love about you, but you will push yourself and push yourself before you'll ask someone else for help. There are just things that you can't do while you're pregnant but I know that you'll want to try them all."

I laughed slightly and shook my head. "That's absurd!" I exclaimed. "I have no problem asking others for help, I ask for help all the time."

It was Remus's turn to laugh. "You also have that Parker stubbornness that you and your sister both share," he said coolly. "I'm just trying to make sure you stay safe and that the baby stays safe. We can't only think of ourselves anymore, we also have to think of the baby."

All I've been thinking about since the day I found out that I was pregnant was the baby! What I said next I really didn't think through but I said it anyways. "Well, I think the baby and I just need a break," I told him. "Let's just see how I do when I'm not under your watchful eye. And if I somehow screw this baby up, I will admit that you were right."

Remus shook his head again. "This isn't about who's right or wrong, Lyla," he said.

"Regardless," I responded, "I think we just need some time apart."

I saw Remus's jaw clench tightly together as if he was biting back his anger. The full moon was coming up and I knew it was hard for him to control his emotions. "You want to take some time apart a week before we're supposed to be getting married?" he questioned. I nodded my head, unable to speak. "Fine, take all the time that you need. I'll be gone for the next four days for the full moon, so feel free to stay at the apartment, I won't be there."

"I think I'll just stay here, but thanks," I spoke quietly.

He stood up from his chair and looked at me before he turned to leave. "I'll be back in four days," he said again. "I know you're pissed, but I still love you and I still plan on marrying you in a week. I hope you'll decide to come home by the time I get back." After he said this, he turned his back to me and went back into the house to exit through the front door.

When he was gone completely, I closed my eyes and placed my hands on my stomach. I felt like I should be apologizing to the baby. I felt guilty for fighting with Remus. I didn't want us to be the kind of parents who fought about everything; I didn't want our kid to have to deal with that. I truly believed the time apart would be good for us. We could both calm down a bit and get out of each other's hair; but this wasn't what marriage was. Marriage was about facing problems head-on, together. I suddenly was filled with this awful feeling that I was going to be the most terrible wife.

Alexa joined me outside after a few moments and took the seat that Remus had been sitting in. She didn't say anything at first; she just smiled at me sympathetically. "Don't worry, Lyls, Remus will come around; he always does," she assured me. I gave her a weak smile. "Sirius went with Remus to make sure he didn't do anything stupid, with the full moon coming and all. I'm sure he'll be fine though."

"Do you mind if I stay here with you for a few days?" I asked.

She quickly nodded her head. "Of course, I'd be happy to have you in the old room again," she told me. "It'll be just like old times. We'll have chatsies until the sun comes up, we'll do each other's hair, and gossip about countless numbers of people; we'll do it up big." At this I laughed. Alexa could put me in the worst mood sometimes, but she also always knew how to make me laugh and pull me out of my inner darkness.

"Come on," she continued, extending her hand to me from her now standing position. "Let's go inside, laze about, and then when Mum and Dad get home, we'll tell them that you went to the doctors today and found out that you're having twins. They'll freak out, it'll be hilarious, and we'll both be in a better mood." I took Alexa's hand and we headed back into the house and just sat about like old times. We sent word to Blair that we requested her presence for a sleep over and she eagerly showed up not thirty minutes later, a large bag packed with all sorts of goodies.

A couple hours later, an owl landed at the kitchen window and began to tap at the glass. Blair hopped off the floor and ran to the kitchen to see what the owl had and returned with a delicately folded letter. Blair was looking at the letter quizzically. "Who is it for?" I questioned.

She looked up from the paper and said, "It's addressed to all of us," she said, confused. "Who would send a letter to your house addressed to all of us?"

Alexa pulled Blair to the floor where we were sitting and took the letter from her. "Well, to be fair, we are together all the time," she laughed. "Either that, or whoever sent this letter has been creeping in the bushes or a nearby tree and know that we're all here together." I rolled my eyes at my dear sister and encouraged her to open the letter. Alexa unfolded the letter and her eyes lit up. "It's from Lily!" she exclaimed, scandalously. "This is so random."

"She did say that she would write at the concert," Blair said trying to make sense of all this. "But I never thought that she would actually do it! The fact that she remembers promising us to write is quite remarkable given the state she was in when she said that."

"Well, what the hell did she say?" I asked impatiently.

Alexa cleared her throat and began to read the letter. "Dear Lyla, Alexa and Blair. I hope you ladies are doing well and are thoroughly enjoying your summer. It was absolutely delightful to see you at the concert and I hope I didn't embarrass myself too much! As promised, I am writing to you to simply say hello and wish that you all were well. It'd be great to see you all again, on slightly more coherent terms this time, but I know we are all super busy. If I don't see you before school starts we can just catch up then. Give my best to the Marauders, who I'm sure are close at hand. Best wishes. Lily."

"Wow," Blair said in disbelief. "That was surprisingly pleasant. She sure has changed from the days that she was running with Bree and Andy Ablo."

"Those two can bring out the worst in anyone," Alexa said. "I can't believe that she wants to hang out with us."

"Do you think we should?" Blair asked. "I mean, she's been a bitch to us in the past, but it seems that she is really a different person and we really did have a good time at the concert with her. Do you think she could roll with us?"

Alexa thought about this for a moment and then gasped. "Lyla, get some paper," she told me and I looked back at her confused. "It's time to make a pro/con list." I shook my head at Alexa but did as she asked. Whenever there was an important decision to be made, we usually ended up making a pro/con list. Alexa simply swore by them. When I returned with the paper and a pen, I drew a line down the middle of the paper and scribbled "Pro" and "Con", one on each side.

"Con," Blair started. "James used to be obsessed with her. If she's around all the time, he may have a relapse." Alexa and I didn't think that would happen but I wrote it down nonetheless.

"Pro," Alexa added, "She's actually pretty damn funny." We all nodded in agreement. "Con," she continued, "She used to be friends with Andy Ablo and Bree. Pro, she used to be friends with Andy Ablo and Bree." Blair and I looked at her curiously. "It would bring me great satisfaction to take a friend from those bitches." We all laughed as I wrote down a pro and a con.

"Pro," I said, "When she found out about Remus and I, she didn't rat us out. She kind of used us for a bribe, but I look past that." We all agreed that her covering for Remus and I earned her a pro.

"I'll give her a pro for bringing some new blood into the mix," Blair spoke. "I love you guys, but having someone new in the group may shake things up."

"Going off of that," Alexa added, "We could try to hook her up with Peter. I feel sorry for the poor boy sometimes." I looked at the list and the "Pros" currently outweighed the "Cons." After a few moments of deep thought, we really couldn't think of any good reasons not to hang out with Lily. The "Pros" won out and the decision had been made.

"So," Alexa said, "We'll send her a letter back and we'll meet up with her soon."

"Why don't we just do it tonight?" I questioned. "We aren't doing anything tonight, and making this a four person sleepover will be fun."

"Don't you think it's a little soon?" Blair asked, genuinely concerned. "She just wrote us today."

"No better time than the present, Blair," Alexa told her. She grabbed another piece of paper and hastily wrote a note to Lily. "It's official ladies," she said as she gave the owl our response, "We have invited Lily Evans into the crew. Hold on tight, everything's about to change."

* * *

><p>Prongslittleflower: Well, well, well. This was quite the interesting chapter, was it not? I'm sincerely sorry for not writing and updating sooner, but Christmas holidays came and went a lot faster than expected. By the time you all read this, I'll already be sitting through one of my many English classes, writing papers for dictator teachers. Nevertheless, I am also going to be outlining the next few chapters while in those classes (got to love being in three creative writing courses). Hope everyone enjoyed the story and we look forward to hearing from you all!<p>

XOXO


	7. Rule 97: Professional Photo Sessions

_Rule 97: In the even of a professional photo session, all complaining shall be directed towards Messer Prongs, who will deal with it as is appropriate at the time of said session._

_Lyla's Point of View_

* * *

><p>Well, it turns out that Lily is a bucket of fun. After we had sent the letter to her inviting her over for a girl's night, she turned up at the house an hour later. We had never laughed so much with anybody other than the Marauders, but Lily held her own when it came to our unique, crude humor. She also wasn't as prudish as she puts off to be. We quickly discovered that Lily was kind of a freak, but in a good way.<p>

It was a little weird at first with Blair and Lily, but Blair warmed up to her quickly and they ended up clicking well. Before Lily left the next morning, I decided I wanted to invite her to the wedding. I wanted all of my friends at the wedding and even though she was a new friend, I wanted her there. Blair had a mini freak out about it because she said it was going to throw the seating chart and the food way off. I assured her that everything was going to work out and I'm sure it wouldn't be a big deal to add one more person.

After the night of the sleepover, when there was no longer anything to distract me, Alexa took me into the backyard to have me just cast a bunch of random spells. She told me I had wanted to do it for months so I should go big and get some of the pent up aggression out of my system. I changed the color of the lavender in the flowerbeds, I watered all the plants with my wand, and I transfigured Little Sirius into a small dog and levitated him all over the place. Needless to say, he wasn't too happy with me afterward, but it felt so good to do magic again. In a way, it was like I had been repressing an integral part of myself and I was finally able to find that part of me again. Alexa was right; it was therapeutic.

I realized after I had nearly redone the entire backyard that even if I didn't agree with Remus and even if I was still a little mad at him, I couldn't just run away from our problems. Alexa tried to convince me to stay until Remus and the rest of the Marauders came back, but I knew that I had to go home; the home that Remus and I shared now. I hadn't fully forgiven Remus yet and I didn't know how we were going to work this out, I knew I had to try. I knew I loved Remus even when he infuriated me and that's all that mattered.

Alexa stayed a couple nights at the apartment with me but it was finally the day that Remus was supposed to be getting back, so there I was sitting alone in the apartment, waiting. While I waited I cleaned the entire apartment, completely by magic, and did the laundry. Once I had run out of things to do and the sky was growing dark as night approached, I took up residence on the couch in the living room and read the _Daily Prophet_ from that day. When I had read nearly every article of the paper, some even twice, I heard a key enter into the lock on the door.

The door slowly swung open and Remus walked in slowly, a bag over his shoulder and looking very ragged. I could tell that this had been a particularly difficult full moon and I couldn't help but feel guilty figuring it was partially my fault that made it so hard. Still not having seen me, Remus closed the door behind him and then went over to the nearby kitchen counter. He threw his keys onto the surface and then leaned over, resting his arms on the cool marble. He let out a deep breath as he hung his head, clearly exhausted from the night before.

I wanted to go over to him the moment he came through the door, but I couldn't move. When he finally turned around and saw me, he stopped mid step and just looked at me. He had scratches all over his face and arms and I knew that there were similar ones all over his body. His face was sad but when he saw me I could see a little bit of light creep back onto his face.

Pulling myself off of the couch, I went over to where he was still standing. We both just looked at each other for a moment and then I pulled him into a hug and held onto him tightly. He made a pained groan as I squeezed him so I released him slightly but I never let go. Remus put one arm around my back and one cradled the back of my head where it rested on his shoulder.

Neither of us spoke because there was simply nothing to be said. I didn't know how to explain it, but as soon as I was in Remus's hold, nothing that happened the past few days even mattered anymore. I forgave him and he forgave me. I pulled my head back to look at him; I rose up on my toes slightly and then brought his lips to mine, placing an easy kiss on his lips. My fingers traced over several of the cuts and scratches that he had on his body and discovered that they were worse than I had originally thought.

I pulled out of his hold and then took his hand in mine. I led him back into the bathroom off of our bedroom and leaned him up against the sink. He eased himself up onto the counter that surrounded the sink and I got one of the many washcloths that we had for this very purpose. I wetted it slightly and dabbed at a particularly large cut at the top of his forehead. Slowly, he raised his hand and placed it on the one that was currently tending to his wounds. He stilled my hand and brought it to his lips. I gave him a smile and continued. After I had cleaned his wounds the best I could, I cast the vulnera sanentur spell, which knotted up the cuts, and then I applied dittany to the big cuts to reduce scarring.

After drawing Remus a shower and leaving him a fresh set of clothes in the bathroom, I changed into my own pajamas and getting into our bed. Hearing the water turn off, Remus emerged from the bathroom already looking a bit better. He slid onto the bed next to me, simultaneously turning the lamp on his bedside table off. I scooted my body closer to him and he put his arms around me, holding me close. "I'm glad you're okay," I said into the darkness of the room.

"I'm glad you forgave me," he responded, placing a kiss on my forehead and then on my lips. Neither of us fell asleep right away. We just laid there in silence, holding one another and enjoying being together.

When I woke up the next morning, it suddenly hit me that it was the day before my wedding. I was panicking slightly inside but I tried my hardest not to let these nervous feelings show. Remus and I put our fight behind us and attributed it mainly to growing stress put on us by the wedding and the baby. He admitted that he perhaps went a little overboard with restrictions during my pregnancy and promised to ease up on the whole no magic before the baby is born thing.

While last minute preparations were being handled at the church and the Potter's, Remus and I had a meeting with the gentleman making the cake. He was going to show us the finished product and get us to sign off on everything. After I took a shower and got ready, I noticed that Remus had slipped out. He left me a note saying that he had to pick something up but that he would be back in plenty of time to make it to our appointment.

Remus returned as I was sitting down at the island in the kitchen to drink a glass of water and eat a peanut butter and banana sandwich. I honestly hated peanut butter, and as a child would pretend to be allergic to it to get out of eating it, but ever since I got pregnant, I have had this unnatural craving for peanut butter. Remus placed a kiss on my cheek and then moved to the other side of the island right across from me. "Where did you get off to this morning?" I questioned, taking a big bite of my sandwich.

"I just had to run out and pick something up," he said mysteriously.

"What did you have to pick up?" I pressed.

"Just a little something for you," he told me with a smile. My heart started beating quicker and a large smile spread across my face like a kid on Christmas.

"And what is this little something?" I asked, so very excited to see what he had gotten me.

"Even though we put this whole fight thing behind us, I just wanted to get you something to say I'm sorry and to show you I love you," he said to me. "Also, I think you could use it tomorrow." I looked at him curiously and then he pulled and long, thin black velvet box out of his back pocket, placing in on the counter before me. I timidly looked at the box and then back at Remus. "Well, go on then," he said, laughing at me.

I reached for the box and gently pried open the delicate, sleek box. Inside the box was a silver bracelet with alternating blue and clear oval-shaped stones. "I called your mom this morning and she said that you didn't have anything blue yet so I thought I would take care of that for you. Those are diamonds and aquamarine gem stones," he explained. I let my fingers trace the dainty bracelet and then looked to Remus yet again. "Do you like it?"

I laughed slightly. "Like it? I love it," I told him. "This is so beautiful. So completely unnecessary, but beautiful all the same," I gushed. "This had to have cost you a pretty penny, Remus; you didn't have to do this."

Remus took my hand in his and focused on my eyes. "You don't need to worry about how much it cost and I know I didn't have to do it; I just wanted to. This is my last gift to you before we become husband and wife and I wanted it to be something special. So, promise me that you won't obsess about how much money I spent and on all the things that money could have gone toward, and just enjoy the bracelet. Can you do that?"

I smiled and nodded my head. Looking at the bracelet one more time, I closed the box and said, "I can't wait to wear this tomorrow."

"I know it will look absolutely beautiful on you," Remus told me, placing a small kiss on my cheek. "You ready to head to the bakery?" he asked. I nodded, put my dishes in the sink, and then grabbed my bag.

When we got to the bakery, as soon as we stepped into the store, the scent of sugar just filled my nose. "Oh," I said, grabbing my stomach because the baby kicked really hard. It seemed like every time I came to this bakery the baby went on a kicking spree.

A few minutes later, Mr. Carroll came out from the back and greeted us. "Hello, Miss Parker," he smiled, offering his hand to me. "Now, is this your fiancé?"

I nodded my head and introduced Remus to Mr. Carroll. "Yes, Mr. Carroll, this is my fiancé, Remus Lupin," I explained. Remus and Mr. Carroll exchanged pleasantries and then he led us into the room that Sirius, James and I had tasted cake in and sitting on the table was our cake.

I was blown away when I saw the cake. I had left much of the design up to Mr. Carroll and his team and I couldn't have imagined a more perfect cake. This was exactly what I wanted. The cake was three tiers and was covered in a white frosting. A small cluster of blue hydrangea flowers adorned the top of the cake with a single green leaf. At the bottom of each tier, there were delicate frosting pearls piped around the outside and they looked almost exactly like real pearls. There were similar clusters of edible hydrangeas scattered around the cake and the middle tier had what looked like a satin ribbon wrapped around it, held together by the flowers.

"What do you think?" Mr. Carroll asked, looking at the cake with pride.

"It's absolutely beautiful," I told him. "You did an amazing job. Thank you so much." I pulled Mr. Carroll into a hug, which caught him off-guard. Mr. Carroll gave me a smile and said he was glad that I liked it.

Remus gave Mr. Carroll James's address for delivery and the time that we would need the cake. Mr. Carroll assured us that everything would run smoothly and that he would personally be delivering the cake. We said our goodbyes and Mr. Carroll congratulated us in advance.

When Remus and I got home, Alexa, Blair and all the Marauders were sitting around in the kitchen eating our food. In that moment I completely rethought giving Alexa a spare key in case of emergencies. Upon seeing us, Alexa and Blair jumped up from their seats and pulled me away from Remus's side. "Well, the time has finally come to split up the lovebirds," Alexa said. "You two will go your separate ways and then come this time tomorrow you two will be united as one, or something along those lines." I laughed slightly at Alexa's inspiring words. "Take a good look, Remus," she continued, "This will be the last time you see this little lady as a single woman."

The Marauders gathered around Remus. "Come Moony," Sirius said, patting Remus's shoulder, "Say your goodbyes so we can start getting drunk as hell." I gave Sirius a look and hoped that he was just joking to try and get a reaction out of me.

"You guys mind giving us some privacy?" Remus asked, signaling them to back up a little so we could have a moment. Remus put his arms around my waist and pulled me closer. "You ready to do this tomorrow?" he asked me with a smile.

"I couldn't be more sure," I assured him. He placed an unrushed kiss on my lips and then placed another kiss on my forehead.

"Well, Miss Parker, I shall see you tomorrow," he told me. "I love you."

"I love you too," I responded. "And Sirius," I said looking over to Sirius, "If any of you show up tomorrow even the slightest bit inebriated, I will personally murder every single one of you." I gave him a sweet smile and Sirius just laughed.

I left the apartment with Alexa and Blair and headed back to my parents' house. Before lying down to go to sleep, Blair insisted that she put a soothing facemask on me to avoid puffy eyes in the morning and demanded that we get to bed early because, as she put it, 'there's nothing more tacky than a tired bride.' When we finally got ready for bed, I couldn't fall asleep. The anticipation of tomorrow was gnawing at me and there were a million things running through my mind.

Alexa and Blair had fallen asleep almost immediately, leaving me to my thoughts. It's not that I questioned for a second that I wanted to marry Remus, but I was getting somewhat nervous about tomorrow and was filling up with anxiety. I suddenly heard a noise at the window. I figured it was just the wind or a bug or something so I just ignored it. Then, I heard the noise again. I quietly got out of the bed and tiptoed over to the slightly cracked window. When I looked out into the backyard, to my surprise, I found Remus looking up me, a handful of pebbles in his hand.

I slid the window open all the way and leaned out of the window slightly. "Remus, what are you doing here?" I questioned, confused as to what was going on.

"I just wanted to see you," he said. "Will you meet me down here?" he whispered to me. I told him that I would meet him down there in a few minutes and then proceeded to quietly maneuver past Alexa and Blair. If they knew what I was doing, they would be furious.

When I walked outside to the backyard, Remus had spread out a big blanket and was standing next to it with a smile. "What is all this?" I asked, going over to him.

"I couldn't sleep," he told me. We both lay back on the blanket and I let Remus put his arms around me and hold me close. "I couldn't stop thinking about tomorrow so I snuck out past the rest of the Marauders and headed over here."

"I'm glad you came," I said, looking up at the clear sky. "I couldn't sleep either." We sat there for a while just looking up at the stars and holding each other. Remus walked me back to the backdoor and gave me one last kiss before we were married. I headed back up to Alexa's room and climbed back into bed. Remus's visit had put me somewhat at ease and I was finally able to fall asleep.

From the moment I woke up the next morning, we were all running around in a panicked frenzy. I kept thinking that I had forgotten something and had to run and make sure everything was as it should be. Blair was freaking out about everything. She had made up a schedule for us that was literally planned down to the second. There was a makeup artist coming, a hair stylist, and mimosas on the terrace for her and Alexa and a number of other things.

After eating a good breakfast that Mother made for us, we had our makeup and hair done. I wanted all of our makeup to be really natural and nothing too drastic. Alexa and Blair had their hair curled and then pulled back into an elegant chignon with a few pieces hanging down. They looked absolutely beautiful and I couldn't wait to see them in their dresses. I had my hair curled and left it down.

Alexa and Blair changed into their dresses first so they could help me get into mine. When they came out in their dresses, I couldn't help but gasp. They truly looked like royalty, so elegant and regal. I then went into the bathroom and slipped on my dress. I stepped out of the bathroom, my veil in hand and smiled at Alexa and Blair who were just staring at me with wide eyes. "Want to zip me up?" I asked them.

Blair quickly came out of her stupor and hurried over to zip up the back of my dress. Alexa walked over to me and I could see the tears welling up in her eyes. "You look absolutely beautiful, Lyls," she told me, pulling me into a hug. She took the veil from my hands and fixed it into my hair.

"Alright," Blair said, clapping her hands together, "We've got something blue and new with Remus's bracelet." I looked down at the delicate bracelet on my wrist and then back to Blair. "And Alexa let you borrow the pins to pin your veil. So, that just leaves something old."

"I think we can help with that," my mother said, peeking her head in. She came all the way into the room, Gran following right behind her. They stopped in front of me and smiled. "You look gorgeous," my mother said. Mother pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes. Gran patted her daughter on the back and gave me a smile.

"Your mother and I have something for you," Gran continued, stepping closer to me, something in her hand. "These were originally my great-grandmother's and ever woman in my family has worn them on her wedding day. So, it's only fitting that you should wear them today, and when Alexa gets married, and Lord only knows when that day will be, she will wear them as well." Alexa rolled her eyes as Blair tried not to laugh. Gran opened her hand and in her palm was a pair of pearl earrings.

I took them from her hand and then pulled my mother and Gran into a hug. "They're perfect," I told them and then slipped the earrings onto my ears.

"Well, the car has just arrived," Mother said, "So, whenever you girls are ready, we'll be downstairs." Mother and Gran left the room and I turned back to the mirror to look at myself. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. To be honest, it was all a little bit overwhelming. I just couldn't fully believe that I was getting married.

Blair scurried about the room gathering all of our necessary items and then she ushered us down the stairs and into the waiting cars. My parents and Gran were already in one car and then there was a second one for Blair, Alexa and myself.

When we arrived at the church, Mom, Dad and Gran went on in. Alexa moved to open the door, but I just grabbed her arm. Alexa turned to me and looked at me, highly confused. "What's wrong?" she asked, shutting the door.

I just looked straight ahead and started to breath heavier. "I don't know if I can do this," I whispered.

"What do you mean you can't do this?" Blair exclaimed. "You sure as hell better do this."

"I'm freaking out," I told them. "I don't know if I can get married. I'm not sure if I'm ready to be a wife and a mother. I'm only seventeen."

"Lyla," Alexa said, grabbing my face and turning it toward her, forcing me to focus. "Calm down. You can do this, I promise. Do you love Remus?" I nodded my head. "Do you want to raise a family with him?" I nodded my head again. "Well, then you're ready. I know this is scary, but you just have to get your ass out of this car and into that church. We will be with you every step of the way and when you see Remus, all of your doubt will be gone. You're ready," she assured me again. "Now, let's do this." She opened the car door again and stepped out.

I followed her out of the car and picked up the bottom of my dress so it wouldn't drag on the ground. We made our way into a side room in the church where my mother, Father and Gran were waiting. Blair brought in the hydrangea bouquets and we made a few last minute touches, but before I knew it, we were lining up to walk down the aisle. Remus's parents walked down the aisle first followed by my mother. Next, James and Peter accompanied Blair into the main part of the church and then Alexa readied herself for her entrance.

I linked my arm through my fathers and held onto it tightly. My dad patted my hand. "You make a very beautiful bride," my father told me. "I am so incredibly proud of you." He placed a kiss on the top of my head and then it was our turn. The doors opened and everyone in the church rose from their seats. I suddenly stopped breathing and almost forgot to move my feet.

I looked up and found Remus at the end of the aisle. He had the biggest smile on his face, and Alexa was right; as soon as I saw him, I could breathe again and I wasn't nervous. When we got to the altar, Daddy handed me off to Remus and placed a kiss on my cheek. Remus took my hand and we walked up the steps to where the priest was waiting. I handed my bouquet to Alexa and then turned back to Remus.

It was such a strange thing, when I turned to Remus, it was like everyone else in the church disappeared and it was just us. When it came time for the vows, Remus went first. "Lyla," he started, "I never thought that I would find someone who could love me for what I am, but you did. You looked past my imperfections and saw me for the man that I really am. You saved me from myself and have made me the happiest I have ever been. I know that I don't deserve to have a wife as wonderful as you, but for some reason, you chose me and I thank God every single day that you never gave up on me even when I'm impossible to be with. I will love you forever and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

The tears flowed from my eyes, but all the while, I was smiling. Alexa handed me a handkerchief as I prepared to say my vows. I quickly wiped away the tears and then held the handkerchief tightly in my hands. "You have been there for me, through all of the good times and all of the bad. Even though we have had some rough patches, we've gotten through them together and I truly believe that with you by my side, we can overcome anything. I love you so much."

We turned to Father Michael, who continued. "Do you, Remus Lupin," he said, looking to Remus, "Take Lyla Parker to be you lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do," Remus said, looking at me.

"And do you, Lyla Parker, take Remus Lupin to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Father Michael asked me.

"I do."

"It is my pleasure, to pronounce you, husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."

Remus gave me a smile and then we embraced each other and shared our first kiss as a married couple. We turned back to everyone in the church and applause erupted. They all stood and looked at us with great cheer. I turned to Alexa and Blair and gave them a hug as Remus did the same with the other Marauders.

"Congratulations," Alexa told me as she handed my bouquet back to me. I gave her a squeeze and then took Remus's hand in mine as we prepared to exit the church. Mother and Daddy looked at me lovingly as we passed by, Mother, with tears of joy in her eyes.

After everyone had exited the church and started to head over to the Potter's, the wedding party filed back into the church to have our pictures taken. "So, how does it feel to be Mrs. Lupin?" Remus asked me as we waited for what seemed like the millionth picture to be taken.

"It feels absolutely wonderful," I told him. I cupped Remus's face and brought it to mine for a kiss.

"How many more of these are we going to take?" James wined.

"Stop trying to ruin a perfectly lovely day," Blair chastised him.

"I agree with Prongsie," Sirius said. "Moony, I know that this is a big day for you and Lyls, but do you need ten thousand pictures to remember it?"

"You literally don't have a brain, do you?" Alexa commented to Sirius. "If you ever have a wedding day, you can do whatever you want, but for now, shut the hell up and smile." I just laughed at my sister. Honestly, nothing anybody said could ruin this day. We all turned to the photographer, smiled and the flash went off.

* * *

><p><em>Alexa's Point of View<em>

* * *

><p>"I am so ready to get this party started." Sirius said as he leaned back in the seat of the car that was taking us all back to James' house for the reception. I nodded and fixed a piece of my unruly curls that were starting to come out of their hold and then smiled happily as I looked over at Lyla and Remus who were continuing to stare at each other, not noticing the rest of us along for the ride.<p>

"Oh, the wedding was so amazing." Blair continued to gush like she had all through the pictures we had been forced into taking. Don't get me wrong; I loved my sister and I am so happy that her wedding was amazing and beautiful, but after the first 100 flashes, I was going to be seeing stars for at least a week. James smiled at his girlfriend while looking somewhat wearily at her as she continued to wax poetic about the wedding.

I sent a look Sirius' way when I felt him lean over to whisper in my ear. "I'm so glad you're not itching to get married immediately." He said with a wink and I felt my heart beat jumpstart at the thought of myself in a white dress, walking the aisle towards Sirius.

"Well, it's a bit premature to think about that when you haven't even officially asked me to go steady again." I mentioned with a slight frown, pouting my lips and looking down at my bouquet in my lap.

Sirius threw an arm around me and then pulled me into him with a laugh. I couldn't help the flush that came over me when Blair and James looked our way and then rolled their eyes. Peter, on the other hand, looked like he was ready to bolt from the car as soon as the doors opened. Couple central; I felt bad for the kid.

"Peter, we need to get you hooked up with some family member, huh?" James asked the shorter boy who looked at James and grinned awkwardly. "I'm sure there will be someone there who will strike your fancy; unless, of course, you were planning on saving a dance for Lydia?"

I rolled my eyes at James' ribbing and then looked out the window as we neared James' house. "Lyla, we need to start fluffing your dress. If you're going to be keeping that bad boy on all night you need to look fabulous." I grinned at my sister who looked at me like I was crazy and then Blair dug around in her magically enhanced bag of goodies (aka her huge as hell duffle bag full of make-up and brushes and everything good).

"I have powder for oily skin, a curling iron to help keep our hair in check, and some sort of magical goo thing that is supposed to keep your makeup fresh; which one do you want?" She asked and James and Sirius exchanged a look with each other before scooting away from Blair a bit. Lyla bit her lip and thought about it for a moment when Remus cut in.

"I like my bride just the way she is, right now." He said and Lyla smiled happily at him before they exchanged yet another kiss and nose rub.

"Okay, okay! Cut the PDA children; we're about to arrive in public." I called towards them as the Marauder's wolf-whistled and Blair repacked her bag. "Blair, we'll have to do touch ups later. Merlin knows how Sirius' skin gets without his powder." Winking at the outraged boy, I helped gather Lyla's dress and train as we pulled up to the curb outside of James' house.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter, along with Remus' parents and my own parents, were standing outside by the curb ready to greet us as we got out. I marveled at how awesome the scenery was and gave James and Sirius a hearty pat on the back. "You two actually pulled this shit off without majorly screwing something over! Congrats!"

"Alexa Noel!" My mother chided me and I shrugged before taking Sirius' proffered elbow and hooking my arm around his. The loud din of the party seemed to quiet down as we followed the magically lit lanterns that lined the stone path towards a large fairy-tale looking tent in the back yard. All around were beautiful bunches of flowers, their petals lining the path and mixing with the small stream that ran towards the tent as well. The flowers matched almost perfectly with the dresses Blair and I were wearing and our bouquets seemed to be made out of the exact same kind.

"You all, this is so perfect." Lyla whispered as she and Remus stopped to look at the stream and the flowers. She grinned so widely I was surprised her face didn't split in two and then they continued on. From inside the tent, the noise had dimmed down and we stopped to listen to Mr. Potter announce that Lyla and Remus had arrived.

To the sound of many cheers and whistles, the newly married couple entered the tent, followed by the rest of us and we all laughed and cheered as Remus dipped Lyla into another kiss, her veil trailing the back of her dress as she blushed and then was brought back up. Mrs. Potter directed us all to the head table where we would be served our dinner and as we made our way to our seats, I noticed the inside of the tent.

There was a large dance floor, made from hardwood, in the center of the room, directly in front of the table where we would be dining. Then around the dance floor were small circular tables, with floating lanterns and more flowers spread everywhere. Lining the outside of the tent were the buffet tables where people would get their food, and periodically there were small bars placed for drinks.

Currently, in the center of the large flood, there was a small table upon which sat the magnificent cake that had a picture of Lyla and Remus on the top tier. Instead of the bride and groom statue, there was a picture of Lyla and Remus, and in the bottom of the picture, a small ultrasound of the baby. It was perfect and showcased their love for one another and their family nicely.

"I can't wait to eat." James moaned from the other side of Remus and I peered over my sister and my new brother-in-law to look at him as Blair did the same. "James!" We both reprimanded at the same time, joined in kind by the mother's, and he rolled his eyes before shaking out his napkin with a flourish. "A man has to eat, women."

"Literally, nothing you say ever makes sense but that's why we love you." Lyla said to James who smiled and nodded at my loopy-with-love sister. Leaning my head on her shoulder, I laughed along with her. "You're my best friend, Alex." Lyla whispered and I smiled while grabbing her hand and squeezing it.

"Right back at you, Mrs. Lupin." I winked and she beamed and then as if it was 'magic' (which I suppose it really was), food appeared on the table in front of us. Not really caring about what the muggles present thought of this display, they were all probably too tipsy to realize at this point, I felt my stomach rumble as I looked at the delicious food.

"I'm not going to lie; this looks fucking awesome." Sirius said before I could say the exact same thing and we all laughed before digging in. The food was beyond spectacular and I let out a happy sigh as I chewed a bite of the most succulent chicken I'd ever had.

"I don't care what we had to go through to do this, I am so happy our parents ended up combining forces to cook." I let out between bites and Blair raised her glass in an 'Amen' type gesture as we all continued to eat.

Soon enough, the food disappeared and more people began to mill about and finish their food. As our glasses were filled with champagne, Lyla deeming it okay to have just a little bit for the toasts, I started to get nervous about the upcoming speeches. I knew what I wanted to say to my sister, but I didn't want to really do so with everyone staring at me.

Finally, as everyone finished and the dirtied plates began to be taken back, Sirius looked at me and nudged me with his elbow. Taking a deep breath, I took the microphone from the DJ and stood up. "If I could have everyone's attention, please." I hesitantly said and everyone slowly began to filter to his or her seats so they could look at us all. "Well, uh, first I'd like to thank you all for being here to share this amazing day with our families. I can't tell you all how lucky I feel to have a sister like Lyla and now a brother."

I looked to Remus who smiled at me and then I looked down to Lyla. "Lyls, I am so lucky to have an older sister like you. No matter what you've always been there for me; and not just because you had to be." I felt myself start to choke up some as everyone let out a chuckle. "For so many people they don't have someone that clicks with them, but with you I always know that you'll have my back. And it's hard to let my sister go to be a wife and a mother, but I know you'll be fantastic at both.

"You're going to be such a great mother to your little girl and I know that no matter what you'll have Remus there by your side and that makes me happy. I hope that one day I can share the same love that you and Remus have. And just know that I love you, big sister." Taking a deep breath and wiping at the tears in my eyes, I turned to Remus and fixed him with my best look. "Reems, you better take good care of my sister and little niece. Otherwise, just remember that I know where you live."

He laughed and wrapped an arm around Lyla before kissing her on her forehead. "I love you both and again, I'm so lucky to have you in my life. And I wish you so much happiness and a fantastic future." Turning to the crowd, I raised my champagne glass and held it high, "To Lyla and Remus!"

As we all repeated it, I took a small sip and bent down to give my sister a strong hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I love you too, Alex." She said with a smile and I squeezed her tight again before passing the microphone off to Sirius.

"Lyla," Sirius started, turning to look at her forlornly, "I guess it's too late to tell you how deeply in love with you I am." Lyla laughed and rolled her eyes, while Remus pointed a finger at Sirius and we all laughed at their antics. "But seriously, no pun intended, I just want to say how lucky you two are to have each other. No matter what has happened in your lives, we all knew that it was going to be okay as long as Lyla and Remus stayed together. And now it's forever. You've given everyone and me else belief that true love does exist and that it can prevail.

"I want to thank you two for being there for me and being my best friends. We are all so lucky to have you all here to keep us grounded and I know that no matter what happens, you two have each other. Lyla, if Remus ever gets out of line, you send him to me and I'll make sure to straighten him out. And Remus, you treat Lyls right, because she's the best thing to happen to you. Besides me, of course." I laughed and looked at Sirius as he winked at everyone. "So, let's raise our glasses again to the best couple I've had the good fortune to witness. Lyla and Remus, everyone."

As we toasted again, I intertwined my hand with Sirius' and smiled at him happily. There were a few more toasts given, one from James and Blair, then another from some of the parents, then a nice little aside from my Uncle Scott. They were all hilarious and heartfelt, and more than a few times I felt myself tearing up slightly. Throughout all of the speeches, my fingers continued to stay laced with Sirius' and every so often, his thumb would slide over the soft skin of my knuckles, causing my face to blush deeply.

Finally, when the last toast was given, Lyla and Remus made their way to the dance floor to cut the cake. Sirius, James, Blair, Peter, and myself joined them as they acted all cute and Remus fed Lyla her piece before she shoved a nice little hunk of icing all over his nose and lips. He pretended to be outraged and I laughed and bit my lip as Lyla cackled with joy.

Soon after the cake exchange, and let me tell you I eyed that cake enviously, it was time for Remus and Lyla's first dance. I was excited to see what the song selection would be, considering Remus had kept it on lock since he had picked it out. The first strings of the song 'That's All' began to fill the air, and I felt my heart just a little bit as Lyla looked at Remus adoringly and he held his hand out to her.

As they swayed on the dance floor, I looked over to James and Blair, who were standing with their arms around each other, swaying slightly as they watched the couple. My parents were smiling happily from the other side of the dance floor, and Mr. and Mrs. Lupin were laughing with the Potter's over by the cake table. I sighed wistfully and felt someone snake their arms around my waist from behind. Turning to look slightly, I grinned at Sirius who rested his chin on my shoulder.

"Remus sure is a hopeless romantic, even after being married." He said as Lyla and Remus laughed about something and she put her forehead against his chest.

"They're so in love. It makes me jealous." I said while leaning more into Sirius' chest. My feet were beginning to ache from the heels I was wearing, which were concealed under my pretty dress.

"You know what makes me jealous?" Sirius whispered into my ear and I shook my head slightly. "That dress you have on. Because it's so close to your skin." He slowly trailed off and I blushed heavily as the song ended and we all clapped for Lyla and Remus. Sending Sirius a look, I met Blair over at the drink table as Lyla and my father, Remus and his mother, danced to the next song in the traditional dances.

"Ready to party?" I asked Blair and she nodded as she sipped on her pretty pink Cosmo. "Sirius is being inappropriate." I said in answer to her unspoken question as I held my cool whiskey and soda to my burning face.

"Yes, well, James is picking out china patterns." I laughed at her quick comeback and she winked at me before waving to Lily who was talking to Monica over by where my uncles and aunts were sitting. She made her way over to the table and I milled around, saying hello to people and making small talk with the guests. Finally, I ended up over next to my mother who wrapped her arm around my waist and pulled me in.

"Doesn't your sister look lovely?" She mused and I leaned into her embrace as she pushed an errant curl behind my ear. "It'll be your turn next." She told me in an ominous voice and I widened my eyes while bumping her playfully.

"Mum, let's not jinx me. I've got at least four good years of being insane before I can even think about it. And then I have to find the right famous person who wants to spend all their money on me." We laughed as the dance floor opened up to everyone as the dances were all over. With a bow, I took Lyla's outstretched hand as she made her way over to us. Joining her on the dance floor, we made complete fools of ourselves, being joined soon by Blair and Lily and Monica and a few of our other cousins.

A few songs later, I looked over to see James and Sirius dancing with Clair, and I couldn't help the look that came over my face. Blair, seeing what I was looking at, gestured them over and we all took turns dancing with the littlest girl, who was fascinated with the way her dress twirled around her ankles as she swung around in James' arms. Remus joined us soon; a big red lipstick outline on his cheek as he had ran into Gran.

We laughed and chatted, danced and drank, and soon the already setting sun was replaced by the moon and lots of stars. Taking a break from dancing, I walked over to the cake table, utterly disappointed by the fact that there was no more out on the table. Cursing my luck, I was about to get another drink when I turned around and ran into Sirius. "Might I have this dance?" He asked me and I blinked slowly before realizing that the usual fast paced songs we had been dancing to had switched into a more big band, couple dance song.

"Of course." I told him and he bent down to kiss my hand as we walked over to the dance floor. "Your speech was beautiful, by the way." I told him and he grinned, just a quick flash of his white teeth before he was twirling me out and pulling me back to him.

"I feel honored that the great speech master herself paid me a compliment." I giggled and then wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him down for a quick kiss before we spun around and he twirled me again. After the song ended, I danced with James, Remus, Uncle Scott, and my father a few more times before I made my way back to Sirius for a few more dances.

We spun slowly, my head resting on his chest and every so often as we twirled I would catch a glimpse of James and Blair together, chatting on about nothing, as they were likely to do. Then on my next go around, I'd see Lyla and Remus. They were never really dancing, mostly just swaying and looking into each other's eyes and occasionally he would lean down and kiss her forehead. The crowd was still thick and the patrons were getting more and more drunk as the night dragged on but everything was perfect. As it should be.

"Sirius, my feet are about to fall off." I whispered as the song switched from a subtle slowness to a much quicker and livelier pace. With a grin, he looped the arm that was around my waist around my knees and swept me up into his arms as I laughed. "Oh, my hero!" I put my hand against my forehead as if I were overcome with a fainting spell as his deep laughter rumbled through his chest.

"Milady." He pulled a chair out for me and deposited me there while I pulled my heels from my aching feet. Taking on of my blistered heels in his hand, Sirius slowly began to massage the aches and pains from my soles. I watched him intently, then closed my eyes and smiled to myself. "Alex, I wanted to ask you something and I don't want you to freak out or anything."

Opening my eyes again, I looked at where he was sitting across form me. "As long as you don't ask me to rub your feet I'm sure I won't freak out." I sent a quick glance to his dress shoes and then met his eyes. He laughed before pulling my chair closer to his. Tucking my legs under my body, I adjusted my dress and then focused my attention on him again.

"It's pretty obvious that I like you and that I haven't stopped liking you for quite a while now." He pushed a hand through his hair and then flicked his fallen bangs out of his eyes. I sat still, biting my tongue, not wanting anything to pass me up. For once, I exercised patience. "And you'll never know how sorry I am for everything that happened last year. But I want everything to be right this time around. I would really like it if you would be my girlfriend again."

The small smile that tilted his lips was hopeful and I couldn't help the wide grin that broke out on my lips as he finished. "Oh, Sirius," I said while reaching out to take his hands, putting my free hand up to his cheek. Stubble was starting to grow from the long day and it made his good looks even more roguish. "I've been yours longer than you've even known."

We met in a slow kiss, his lips resting on mine and applying just the lightest pressure. It was sweet and loving and so different than any of the kisses we had shared in the past. When we pulled apart, I blushed deeply, feeling as if I had just experienced my first kiss all over again. As we continued to sit contentedly, holding hands and looking out to the dance floor, Blair came running over to us, dragging James along with her.

"Come on, you two! Lyla and Remus are about to depart for the night! It's time to catch the bouquet." Blair grabbed my hand and pulled me from my seat and I grabbed for my shoes as we made our way to the dance floor where Lyla was standing and looking at all the girls and women from the reception.

She winked at Blair and I before turning around as we all counted down and with a strong toss; she launched the flowers over her head. I moved back, trying not to be caught in the struggle for the flowers, when the bouquet fell perfectly in the lap of one Lily Evans. We laughed and joked, as Lily blushed as red as her hair and smiled at everyone.

Walking over to Lyla, I gave her a hug and then stood back, my hands on my older sister's shoulders. "Don't forget to use protection." I said with a grin and she laughed loudly while placing her hand on her pregnant belly.

"A bit too late for that advice, Al." She pulled me in for another hug and then squeezed my hand.

"I'm so happy for you, Lyls. Really, you deserve everything and a happy life." I said, feeling myself tear up slightly. "I'll see you tomorrow afternoon, yeah?" She nodded and then I handed my sister off to my parents while Sirius came up behind me and placed a hand on my waist.

"Ready to go?" He asked while holding out my cream-colored wrap, bag, and shoes. I nodded and went to tell my parents goodbye before meeting Sirius back outside of the Potter's house. Taking one last look at the beautiful tent, stream, and garden that was used for the reception, I grabbed Sirius' hand so he could apparate us back into my back yard.

We made our way up to my room, which was a mess of clothes I had packed for Italy and the things we had used to get ready for the day. Stripping out of my dress, I quickly rid myself of my strapless bra and slipped one of Sirius' old sweaters over my head while pulling up my pajama shorts. Sirius came out of the bathroom in a pair of plaid pajama pants and a black shirt, rubbing a hand over his face.

After washing my hair and brushing my teeth, I climbed up onto my big bed where Sirius' sat with my cat, rubbing his soft ears. "Aw, little Sirius missed all the excitement today." I said in a baby voice and my cat padded its way into my lap. I stroked his soft fur before looking over to Sirius who was watching us. "You know, I never got any of that cake." I lamented with a sigh and Sirius' eyes lit up before he bounded from the bedroom.

I looked at Little Sirius with my eyebrows raised before I shrugged and continued to play with his tail. Within a moment, the door to my bedroom opened again and Sirius walked in, levitating two very large pieces of delicious looking wedding cake and two tall glasses of milk. I smiled widely and felt happy little butterflies fill my gut.

"You're literally the best ever." I told him as he climbed back on the bed and held out a piece of cake and a glass to me. Reaching over before I took a bite, I kissed him on the nose and then pulled back. "Best day ever?" I asked him through a mouthful of the delicious cake.

"Best day ever." He said with a wink and we sat in happy contentment, eating our cake and playing with Little Sirius.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Well, the long awaited wedding! We hope that you all enjoyed everything and are ready for more. We're a bit stuck as to what is going to happen next, but never fear; we shall find something amazing to write and blow your socks off with. Now, if you'd like to leave us some feedback that would be right as rain with us. And while you're at it, you should take a peek at the chapter images that our friends over at TDA have been providing us with. Those are lovely. :) Now, we're taking our leave!<p>

XOXO


	8. Rule 15: Foreigners

Rule 15: _You are a foreign man, therefore use your foreigness to attract women (and in the event that you enjoy their company, to keep them)._

"So, you don't think it's a little weird that we're going on our honeymoon with our friends?" I asked Remus as he unloaded our bags from the car when we arrived at the airport.

As he shut the trunk and pulled the bag up on his shoulder, he looked at me. "The only reason that we're going on this trip is because of our friends, so I'm looking past the weirdness," he told me, matter-of-factly. "We'll have a normal honeymoon with plenty of alone time and occasionally see them. We're going to have such a great time." He placed a gentle kiss on my lips and gave me a smile. "I love you."

The smile across my face grew to the size of the sun. I'll admit that we've been pretty lovey-dovey ever since the wedding; but what could you expect? "Is this what it's going to be like the whole time?" Alexa questioned, rolling her eyes at us. "If so, I think I'd like to opt out of this trip." Remus put his arm around me and stuck his tongue out at her.

"I'm not letting anything ruin this trip for me," Blair stated, coming up behind us. "So, you two can just carry on and I'm going to work on my tan." Blair insisted on dressing for the beach even before we got to Italy. She had on a long light blue dress that billowed out around her body in the wind, big sunglasses that nearly took up her entire face, and a large floppy hat. It was almost as if as soon as she stepped off the plane she was heading right to the beach. By this time, the rest of the crew had unloaded their stuff and joined us on the curbside.

"Yeah, thanks so much for inviting me, guys," Lily said very sweetly. "I feel so honored, but I feel like I'm intruding on your trip."

"Evans," Sirius started, putting his arm lazily around her shoulders, "The girls here have claimed that you can roll with us. While I remain skeptical of this, mainly due to the fact that you are more straight-laced than Moony here and you generally look down upon everything we Marauders do, we are willing to give you a chance to prove yourself. This will be the ultimate test. No one vacations like the Marauders. We party hard, no exceptions."

"Well, Black," Lily responded, slipping away from Sirius, "Your confidence in me is astounding. And mark my words, I will prove you wrong." Sirius smiled deviously at her and I knew that he was going to push her to her limit.

Once our entire luggage was unloaded, we headed into the airport. James had insisted that we travel by plane; which, do doubt, would be an experience. I myself had only flown one time before but it was when I was very little and don't really remember it. "So, what do we do now?" Alexa asked, looking to James, clearly ready to get this show on the road.

"Well, how am I supposed to know?" James responded looking a little put off. "You two are half muggle, shouldn't you know the ins and outs of this sort of thing?"

"James! Why would you insist that we fly if you had no clue what you were doing?" Alexa chastised. "And we may have a muggle mum but we never travel by plane. We usually use port keys or apparate, which is what we should have done for this."

"Where's your sense of adventure, Alex?" James nudged her grabbing up his bags to lead the pack. "We'll just figure it out as we go along. I'm sure it can't be that difficult." I gave Remus a worried look and he just shook his head at his friend.

Once we had finally found the desk to check-in to our flight and drop off our luggage, we then were directed over to the security guards so they could check our belongings. One by one we placed our carry-on bags onto the conveyor belt and then stepped through the large metal detector. We all made it through, but of course, somebody had to mess something up. James was the last person to pass through the detector and as he stepped through he was immediately called to the side by a surly looking security guard.

"Sir, I'm going to need you to open your bag and then step back," the man said to James. James did as he was told and unzipped his relatively small backpack. The guard quickly looked through James's bag. The guard's face changed as he found what he was looking for. "Can you explain to me why you are trying to carry a stick onto the aircraft?" Stick? Why the hell would James bring a stick? The security guard pulled out the 'stick' in question and I think we all collectively gasp and we realized that it was no stick at all; it was James's wand.

Why James thought it would be a good idea to bring his wand onto a plane that was primarily filled with muggles is beyond me. I didn't particularly like not having my wand with me but I knew that I couldn't bring it on the plane with me so I packed it in my suitcase like a normal person. James cleared his throat nervously and began to explain. "Well, you see, that isn't a normal stick," James hastily said. Alexa clapped her hands over her face and Blair began to bite her fingernails.

"What do you mean?" the guard pressed, clearly intrigued. "What are you planning on using it for on the plane, Sir?"

"I just brought it for protection," James continued. "If something happens and I needed to defend myself or my friends, I would have that." The guard stepped back and the people around us began to stare.

"Are you telling me that you're planning on using this as a weapon on the aircraft?" he questioned, growing increasingly tenser. "I'm going to need you to come with me, Sir," he added, grabbing James's upper arm. James looked back at us in panic and I quickly jumped forward and rushed over to James.

"Wait," I said, grabbing James's other arm to stop the security guard. The guard stopped and looked at me, waiting for me to say something. My mind was racing as I tried to figure something out. "I apologize for my friend here," I told him. "He's not particularly mentally stable," I continued. James gave me a look but I shot him a look telling him to go along with it. I moved in between James and the guard and leaned in to whisper to him. "He thinks he's a knight and that the stick is a sword. He won't go anywhere without it. It's pretty sad really; he hasn't been right for many years."

The guard looked slightly shocked. "What's wrong with him?" he questioned.

"He's just crazy," I said shrugging my shoulders. "We try to just go along with it so he doesn't get upset."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," the guard said, confused, "But I still can't let him take this with him."

This guy was going to make this difficult. "Oh man," I said urgently. He looked at me questioningly. "You see, I just got married," I told him, "That's my husband over there," I added, pointing over to Remus who smiled awkwardly. "We're actually going on our honeymoon with our friends and family. This is just going to throw everything off. James is going to be so upset and will no doubt make a scene; we'll have no choice to cancel the trip and our honeymoon."

The security guard let out a sigh. "That is very unfortunate ma'am, but I can't let him have this back." Seriously?! I'm slightly ashamed of what I did next, and James owes me big time for this. I suddenly started to 'cry' being as loud as I possibly could. I let my fake emotions pour out and the guard immediately got uncomfortable. "Ma'am, please don't cry," he said, trying to quiet me down as even more people began to gather around.

"I'm sorry," I said through my tears. "It's just this was going to be the happiest day of my life," I told him. "We were going to go on this trip and I looked forward to telling my children about all the wonderful things that I saw and did. But I'll never get that chance now! I'll have nothing to show for myself. I'm having a girl by the way. My daughter will never get to hear how I went to Italy with my closest friends!" I cradled my stomach and let out one last good sob for good measure.

"Okay, okay," the guard whispered. "Your friend can have his stick back; just please stop crying." I began to wipe my eyes and sniffle as he handed me back James's wand. Seeing that I was finally done making a scene, the guard looked at ease.

"Oh, thank you so much," I gushed. I pulled him into a hug and patted him on his back. "You are a beautiful man, and again, I'm so sorry for my friend."

"It's fine," he responded quickly. "Just make sure he doesn't do that again." I assured him we would never have this problem again and he let us go about our day.

I walked back over to where everyone else was standing and quickly ushered them all away before the guard could change his mind. As we hastily made our way through the airport I handed James his wand. "Lyla, you're a life saver," James expressed.

"You have no idea how much you owe me for that," I told him with a smile.

"That was just so horrifying but I couldn't look away," Alexa said, still laughing at my display. "I wish I had gotten that on camera."

"Why would you even think to bring your wand in the first place?" Blair questioned, pulling her bag higher up on her shoulder. "We were coming to a place full of muggles and we were going to be stuck on a plane with them for hours; you couldn't have used your wand without being exposed."

James just shrugged his shoulders as we drew nearer to our departure gate. "What if the plane malfunctioned and we started plummeting to our death? If I have my wand I could suspend the plane until we safely land. I don't trust these muggle contraptions, so you're welcome. I'm just thinking of you guys."

Alexa took out the latest issue of _Witch Weekly_ from her bag and hit James over the head. "If you don't trust these flying death traps, why did you want to take them one all the way to Italy?!"

"Maybe because it's super badass!" James exclaimed.

I laughed as Alexa let out a frustrated sigh at her good friend. James and Alexa always got on well, but he always knew how to push Alexa's buttons. "If this plane goes down and we die, I hope by some miracle that you live so I can haunt you for the rest of your life."

"Okay, okay, you two," Remus said, calming Alexa down. "We're about ready to board the plane, so if everyone could control themselves, that'd be great. James, don't pull your wand out at any point on this flight. Alexa, refrain from killing or seriously injuring anyone." Everyone nodded his or her heads in agreement as we formed a line to start boarding the plane. "If we make it there and back in one piece it will be a miracle," Remus whispered to me as I handed the person our boarding passes. I gave Remus a smile and then took his hand in mine.

One flight and a nap later, we had finally landed in Italy without any mishaps. We collected our luggage and then hailed a taxi to take us to the house that our parents had arranged for us to stay at. It was still like a dream that we were all actually there. After everything with the wedding, this trip was just too much for our parents and friends to give Remus and me.

As we pulled up to the house, I almost stopped breathing. The house was bigger than I was expecting and it was right on the beach. There was a large porch facing the water and the entire back part of the house was glass, which allowed the late afternoon sun to fill the inside with beautiful natural light. "Oh my goodness," Blair gasped. "This place is gorgeous!" she squealed. The small portion of Portofino that I saw on the drive in was so beautiful and I was eager to see more, but the beach was so stunning.

Remus helped me out of the taxi and while the boys unloaded our bags, I went to explore the house with Blair, Alexa, and Lily. We had been told that the key would be under the doormat and we were to just leave it there when we left. Alexa quickly retrieved the key and opened up the front door to the house. I didn't think it was even possible, but the inside was almost more gorgeous than the outside and its surroundings.

The house was very open and bright. The foyer was decorated in warm yellows and beautiful wall hangings. The foyer led into a large room with a couch, chairs, and a fireplace. Off of the living room there was a kitchen, a dining room, the porch, and then three bedrooms with their own bathrooms. There was a master bedroom with an enormous king sized bed with a canopy of flowing fabric blowing softly in the wind when the doors to the porch were open. The master bath was equipped with his and her sinks and a tub and shower that could fit nearly ten people in each. After the long day of travel, all I really wanted to do was to climb into that large fluffy bed, but Alexa pulled me along to look at the other two rooms.

The two other bedrooms were very similar to each other. They bother were rather large and each had three twin beds in them. The only difference between the two rooms was that in one room, two of the beds were bunked. This house apparently belonged to a family with six kids and they rented the house out to vacationers when they weren't there. You could tell that the two rooms belonged to children because there were cute hand crafted items all over the room. "So, I guess the three of us will stay in this room and then the three boys will stay in the other room, with Remus and Lyls in the master bedroom," Blair stated, placing her large purse on one of the beds.

As the boys entered into the house and came over to the room they would be staying in, Alexa said, "I hate to tell you this, Sirius, but we will not be rooming together." Sirius stepped up next to her, looking into the room and gasped.

"James!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Bunk beds!" James quickly ran over to see the beds and his face lit up. They both pushed us aside and rushed into the room. "All of our dreams are coming true," Sirius told James as they both inspected the bunk beds.

"I call top bunk!" James suddenly spouted out.

"Doubt it," Sirius said, throwing his belongings up on the top bunk. "I totally already called it."

"When?" James questioned.

"You and I both know that I called the top bunk when we talked about it in first year," Sirius explained. "When we talked about getting an apartment after seventh year, we agreed that I would get top bunk, and that applies to all bunk bed situations that we ever will encounter."

"Oh, good Lord," Blair muttered as she shook her head.

James turned rapidly to look at Blair. "Blair, tell Sirius that he is being completely unfair and that he doesn't get to call the top bunk for the rest of our lives. Everyone knows that you have to call it each individual time," James told us.

"You two are ridiculous," Alexa said as she turned around to go back to her own room to unpack her things. "Good luck with them, Peter," she yelled to them over her shoulder. We all followed Alexa's lead and headed to our respective rooms to sort out our things and to freshen up a bit before we continued on with our day.

Remus had placed our suitcases on our bed, so I headed over and unzipped the bag. Remus closed the door to our room behind him and then came over to where I was standing. He slipped his arms around me and pulled me closer to him. "Finally a few minutes alone with my wife," Remus whispered as he placed a gentle kiss on my neck. I giggled slightly as his lips tickled my skin. "Are you happy, sweetheart?" he asked me. I nodded my head as I let my headrest on his shoulder.

"I just want to enjoy this time with you and our friends," I told him. "When we get back, reality is going to set back in and we are going to have to start figuring out what we're going to do at school and how we're going to handle having this baby."

Remus turned me around to face him and he brushed the hair off of my face. "Now, I don't want you to be worrying about any of that," he instructed. "Everything is going to work out. We've gotten through all of this so far and we'll get through everything that is to come. This trip is about being together and having a good time, we'll deal with all that other stuff later." I gave him a smile and then placed a kiss on his lips. I couldn't help but think that I was one of the luckiest girls in the world.

There was a soft knock at the door and then Alexa poked her head in tentatively. "Hey, guys, sorry to interrupt, but the boys are getting somewhat restless and are pretty hungry," she told us. "Lily, Blair and I were going to go explore town and pick up some things for dinner. You want to join us, Lyls?"

I gave Remus a look and then patted him lightly on his chest as I walked past him to join Alexa. Before I could get too far, Remus snagged my hand and pulled me back to him, wrapping his arms around me once more. He pulled me into a kiss that was passionate but tender. I smiled against his lips as he lingered on my skin. "I love you," he whispered to me.

Before I could respond Alexa grabbed my arm and pulled me away from Remus. "If you guys weren't so damn cute and related to me, I'd have to kill you guys for being so perfect," she informed us. I snagged my bag off the chair and waved goodbye to Remus as Alexa directed me toward the front of the house where Blair and Lily were waiting for us.

The four of us headed down the road that led to town and took in the stunning countryside as we passed. After some basic chitchat, Blair got to the question we had all been asking ourselves. "So, Alexa," she started, "We couldn't help but notice that you and Sirius were pretty close at the wedding. Anything you want to share?"

Alexa's face began to redden and I could tell she had feared this very subject being brought up. "I have no clue what you guys are talking about," she stated hastily.

"Oh, come on, Alex!" Blair exclaimed, drawing some questioning looks from some nearby people. "Anyone with a brain and eyes can see that you two are all up in each other's business again."

At this, Lily chimed in. "Even though I'm relatively new to the group, even from the outside it's pretty obvious that you guys like each other. I know you guys broke up and stuff but I could tell that neither one of you really truly moved on."

"Plus, that night of my bachelorette party, I definitely saw the two of you looking pretty cozy on the couch when I snuck in," I added. "You guys are practically dating again so you might as well make it official. And if you think Blair and I didn't know about the two of you rendezvousing all summer, you're dumber than I thought."

Alexa just shrugged her shoulders. When none of us accepted that as a valid answer she let out a sigh and continued. "Sirius asked me to be his girlfriend again at the wedding and I said yes," she simply said.

A wide smile spread across my face and Blair let out a whoop. Alexa, however, didn't have the look on her face that I expected. She had a worried look on her face and I could tell something was wrong. "What is it Alexa? And why were you so hesitant to tell us?" I questioned.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy to be back with Sirius," she told us, "But I keep going back to when we broke up and how much that hurt me; how much we both were hurt. I don't want that for us anymore. I don't want to fight with him. And I didn't want to say anything because as soon as other people know, it makes things so much harder. When we were sneaking around it was just the two of us and it was simple. I just want it to work this time."

I put my arm around my dear sister and pulled her closer. "Alex, you shouldn't even worry about the past, just be with Sirius in the present," I advised. "You two are perfect for each other and are meant to be together. It may not be easy all the time but no relationship is easy. And you just have to accept that the two of you are going to fight, because Merlin knows you both are too stubborn not too, and just learn to shake those fights off. I know Sirius loves you and you love him. That's all that matters."

Alexa gave me a smile and nodded her head. "The whole crew is put back together. All is right," she said in a satisfied tone. "Now, all we need to do is find Lily a man. Peter perhaps?"

Lily let out a nervous laugh and began to play with her fiery hair. "Peter's a sweet guy, but not really my type," Lily disclosed. "I'm sure Peter will make some girl very happy someday, but I am not that girl."

"So what is your type Lily?" Blair asked casually, but I knew what she was hinting at.

Lily looked around as we entered the market and answered. "Well, right now, my type is hot Italian men," she joked, waving over to a strapping young man at a bread booth.

"You're in luck!" Alexa shouted. "We happen to have plenty at our disposal. So, why don't you go over there and buy us some bread and introduce yourself to that fine piece of ass." Lily threw us a wink and headed over to the guy that had been checking her out. As Lily flirted away, we continued deeper into the market to search for dinner. "What are we feeling tonight, ladies?"

"Hey, you guys," Lily said as she rushed over. "Giacomo over there," she said pointing to the bread guy, "Says that if we're looking for some great food then we need to go to a restaurant called La Bella Luna. He said he knows the owner and can take us there and help us. Did I mention that he's smoking hot and has the most gorgeous accent that will make you melt."

"Well, since I don't know my head from my ass in Italian, I think we'll go with Lily's new boy toy," Alexa casually stated. "Besides, he does have rather nice eyes," she added, looking over to Giacomo. Does he have any brothers?"

"Alexa!" Blair laughed. "You're in a happy committed relationship now."

"That doesn't mean that I can't window shop or let a cute Italian boy order me some food in Italian," she said with a wink as she headed over to where Giacomo was waiting for us.

After Lily introduced us to Giacomo he began to lead us down the street toward the restaurant. I did have to admit that he was extremely good looking with his olive skin and dark luscious locks, and if I wasn't just recently married and with child I'd have to get my flirt on. And if his good looks weren't enough, he had the most wonderful personality and did have quite the adorable accent.

"So what's good here?" Lily asked as Giacomo watched her every move.

"Oh, everything, bella," he informed her. Lily just smiled goofily and nodded her head. "They have a lasagna that is filled with the finest sausage on the coast, an alfredo sauce that is so creamy and rich that it's nearly impossible to finish an entire plate, and all of the pasta is freshly made. You can't possibly go wrong. And the desserts are to die for. My personal favorite is the tiramisu; the espresso is incredible. The cannoli are so light and the gelato is the best."

Everything that Giacomo described sounded simply delicious and I felt my stomach growl below my hand that was resting on it. "I think we should just get it all," I told them. Alexa smiled at me and just laughed. "I can't help it that I'm hungry all the time! And right now, I'm literally craving everything on the menu."

"Well," Lily said shrugging our shoulders, "I guess we'll take one of everything. And we need it to go, if possible, we have some friends waiting for us at home."

With a large smile on his face, Giacomo said, "There's nothing more beautiful than a woman with a hearty appetite. I'll see what I can do for you." He headed over to an older looking gentleman and began to speak to him in Italian. The older man seemed elated by the order. He grabbed Giacomo's face and placed a large kiss on both cheeks and exclaimed, "Il mio nipote!" He took off toward the kitchen and Giacomo returned to where we were standing.

"He said there was no problem and that he'd get it out as fast as he could," Giacomo informed us. "He also is giving it to you at half price and giving you some fresh bread free of charge."

We all looked at each other in surprise. "Half price? Why would he do that?" Lily inquired.

"I told him you all were my friends and that you just got to Italy and he wanted you to have a true taste of Italy. Besides, I can get my nonno to do about anything," he mentioned.

"That was his grandfather," Lily whispered to us. Clearly Lily had learned a little Italian before we came. "Thank you so much, Giacomo, we really appreciate it. I hope you'll join us for dinner, it's the least we can do to repay you for your kindness." Giacomo nodded in agreement to our invitation and then directed us over to a small table where we could wait for our meal.

As we waited for Giacomo's grandfather to return we got to know Giacomo a little better and Lily seemed to get even more smitten with every passing minute. Giacomo was the oldest of four and was the only boy. He had explained that he and his sisters, Lia, Giovanna, and Carina, lived with his grandparents because his parents died six years ago in a car accident. His littlest sister wasn't even a year old when they passed. His grandfather had wanted him to take over the family restaurant like his father would have if he were still with them but his grandmother insisted that Giacomo stay in school.

She enrolled him in a boarding school in Rome and that's where he has spent most of his time for the past six years. Every summer he returns to his home here and works for his grandfather who apparently still hopes that he will want to enter the family business. Giacomo told us that when he left to go to the school in Rome it was hard for him to leave his sisters so soon after his parents passing away but he knew he needed to go to school so that he could make something of himself in order to give his sisters everything they would ever need and to repay his grandparents for all of their help.

Giacomo seemed like such a sweet guy and I was amazed at how upbeat he was given the horrors he has had to endure. Before we knew it, Giacomo's grandfather, Giuseppe, returned with his wife, Aryana, and several bags filled with what I assumed to be delicious food that I couldn't wait to eat. Giacomo got up and met his grandparents and took the bags from his grandfather and we followed after him. "I nonni, questo è Alexa, Blair, Lily e Lyla," Giacomo introduced. The older couple nodded to us and greeted us in Italian.

"Molte grazie," Lily offered to Giuseppe and Aryana. Alexa laughed slightly at Lily's brown-nosing ways.

Giuseppe said something to his grandson that I didn't understand and Giacomo just smiled and looked to Lily. "He says your Italian is very good and that you all are always welcome here and as far as he is concerned, you are family." Lily blushed slightly and we all gave our thanks to his grandparents. "Let me just tell my grandparents that I'll be back later and then we'll get you all home."

Once Giacomo was safely out of hearing distance, Lily turned to us excitedly. "Is he not the greatest?!" she whisper exclaimed. "I think I've found something to keep me busy during our time here."

"Easy there, Lils," Alexa suggested. "Just because you found him doesn't mean you get to keep him. I think it's only fair if you share with the group."

"In your dreams!" Lily replied. "You all have a guy and now I've got one of my own. Besides, he seems to like me best so I doubt any of you would have a chance with him anyways." Lily smiled slyly and gave us a wink to let us know she was joking.

"Well, how do you expect us to compete with little-miss-I-learned-Italian-and-can-speak-the-language-of-love?" Alexa questioned. "But look, I don't think it's us that you have to worry about. Good luck getting the boys to accept him. They go nuts whenever there's a new guy around; they're highly territorial."

Lily just shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, those boys don't scare me," she informed us. "Peter won't initiate anything on his own, he'll only back the others up. Remus is normally too polite to make a guest feel uncomfortable. And as far as James and Sirius go, I can handle them."

"Somebody's a bad ass," Alexa sarcastically muttered under her breath. We all laughed and continued to give Lily a hard time. That's what I liked about Lily, we could joke with her and she didn't take anything personally; in fact she usually would dish it right back.

"Ready to go, bellas?" Giacomo asked when he rejoined the group. Lilly nodded and took one the bags of food from Giacomo and began to lead him out of the restaurant.

We began to follow after them and Alexa just started to laugh. "Sirius is going to go nuts when he sees this guy," she explained her laughter.

"And I'm sure you're not going to put his mind at ease, are you?" I jested.

She gave me a sweet smile. "Now, what kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn't shamelessly make Sirius jealous? Of course I'm going to play this whole situation up." I just shook my head as Blair began to laugh and agreed with Alexa.

When we got back to the house, I threw the door open and Alexa entered first. "Hey, losers, we're back with food!" she shouted. I hit Alexa slightly on the shoulder and she just have me a 'what' look. As we made our way into the kitchen, we saw the boys standing around the counter moving something around.

"Welcome back," Sirius said, sounding mischievous. "While you ladies were out we did a bit of shopping of our own." Sirius stepped aside to reveal several bottles of alcohol lined up on the counter. Sirius looked down at the display with pride.

Alexa went over to Sirius and put her arms around his waist. "I have never been more proud of you," she told him adoringly. He placed a kiss on her lips and smiled. "We are going to have a real good time tonight."

Lily and Giacomo entered into the kitchen carrying the food and could almost feel the silence fill the room. "So…" Sirius started looking at Giacomo. "Who's this guy?" Ah, Sirius, blunt as always.

Like a brave soul, Giacomo stepped toward Sirius and stretched out his hand. "Ciao, I'm Giacomo, pleasure to meet you," he introduced himself to Sirius. Sirius hesitantly took the hand extended to him and shook it.

"The pleasure is all mine," Sirius commented. Alexa gave Sirius a look as he let go of Giacomo's hand and Sirius just watched the boy before him with a calculated stare. The Marauders all exchanged a look concerning our guest and before they got defensive Lily stepped in. "Let's eat!" she exclaimed.

"You take that shot or get out of my house!" Sirius exclaimed, pointing to a shot glass in front of James that was filled to the brim with whiskey. Soon after dinner, the alcohol started to flow and needless to say, everyone was having a good time. Remus laughed at his friends as he sipped his drink and rubbed my shoulder that his arm was around.

Somehow, James and Giacomo had gotten into a competition of who could take the most shots and Sirius was very much the cheering section for James. We quickly learned that Giacomo held his alcohol very well, and honestly, James didn't have a chance in hell of beating him at any drinking game.

James picked up the small glass and brought it to his lips. He stuck his tongue into the brown liquid and his face soured. "Padfoot, mate," he started, leaning over to Sirius, "I don't think I can do it. He's too good." Sirius shook his head and brought James closer to him to whisper something to him.

"Look at him," Sirius attempted to whisper, "He's got nothing on you. You are a Marauder. We never back down from a challenge and we never walk away as losers. Now, look at Blair over there," Sirius pointed over to where Blair was mixing a drink with Alexa at the counter, "Do you think that she'll want to date you if you aren't a winner? Blair's a winner, James, and winners date winners." James's brow furrowed and he looked down at the glass in his hands again.

In one swift movement, James downed the fluid and slammed the glass onto the table. Sirius erupted into cheers and even Peter was on his feet to celebrate his friend. Lily, who was seated next to Giacomo, patted him on the back and said; "He's going to drink himself into a coma if he keeps this up." Giacomo let out a laugh and then drew himself out of the competition, allowing James to win.

Even though I wasn't able to participate in the drinking, my friends were entertaining drunks and I couldn't help but have a good time. It was really nice to see everyone so carefree and just blowing off some steam. Remus was laughing like a fool and it was a laugh that even I rarely got to see. I could tell that he was really just letting loose tonight.

James and Sirius became even more immature when they drank but they also would get super competitive about anything. In addition, Sirius got a lot flirtier when he drank and was even a bigger fan of showing affection. Peter didn't drink often, but when he did, we got to see the Peter that he kept hidden deep behind his shy quirks.

Then, there were the girls. I mean, even though Lily hasn't been hanging out with us for too long, I had seen Lily at the concert and pretty much had a good feel for 'drunk Lily.' Lily became one of the guys when she drank, and could probably drink any of the guys under the table. Blair was simply a blast when she was drunk. She was the life of the party and could be persuaded to do pretty much anything while under the influence, including doing handstands, which ended with her crashing to the floor; but to her, every time she did it, she 'nailed it.' However, Blair also had an even bigger jealous streak when she drank. Blair's emotions could shift from one end of the spectrum to the other in a matter of minutes if just the right words were uttered or if she saw something she didn't like.

And then there was my dear sister. Alexa was that drunk that didn't quite know her limit and even when she was clearly lashed would swear up and down that she was totally sober. Oh, and when music played, there was no stopping her from tripping the light fantastic (dancing). So as I looked up and watched my sister sashaying toward me, moving in all sorts of directions, I couldn't help but let out a laugh and roll my eyes. She sat down next to me and put her head on my shoulder. "Hey, Lyls," she said.

"Hey, Alex, you having a good time?" I asked her.

She sat up quickly and looked at me with a frown. "I'm not even drunk. I'm totally fine," she insisted. "Totally fine," she repeated. "Don't even worry about it." I nodded my head in agreement and threw up my hands in surrender. As usual, she patted my extended belly and then left her seat to take up residence in Sirius's lap. I watched them for a few minutes as they whispered back and forth to each other and I was so incredibly happy for them.

Remus squeezed me closer to him and when I looked up I found him staring back down at me. I leaned into his body and wrapped my arm across his abdomen and around his waist. "Happy honeymoon," he told me. I lifted my head slightly and reached up to place a kiss on his lips. The slight taste of whiskey reached my mouth as Remus deepened the kiss.

Remus and I broke apart as Alexa exclaimed, "I have the greatest idea!" We all turned our attention to her as she excitedly spoke from Sirius's lap. "Let's go down to the beach!" Okay, I was all for having a good time but, to me, mixing a bunch of inebriated people with deep water just didn't seem like the safest option.

"Are you sure that's safe?" I questioned. I was taken back a bit as everyone looked to me now like I was crazy.

"Live a little!" James exclaimed.

"It's probably safer for me to fall down on the sand than on this hard floor," Sirius logically said.

"Plus, I'm pretty much sober, so I can make sure everyone stays safe," Alexa assured me, trying to put my mind at ease. Within a matter of minutes, everyone was out of his or her seats and they were ready to take off toward the beach. Knowing that I wasn't going to be able to stop this, I just went along with it and threw caution to the wind.

Alexa, leading the way, threw open the back sliding door that led to the balcony which had stairs leading down to the sandy beach. Remus 'helped' me down the stairs but I was really the one helping him down the semi-steep steps. Blair had surpassed Alexa in the race toward the water and was running extremely fast. Blair was gliding over the soft sand but as she neared the water, there was a slight drop in the terrain that she didn't notice and she went face first into the ground. We all collectively gasped but within seconds, Blair was back on her feet and continued her pursuit. Once she reached the clear water, she once again fell, this time on purpose, allowing the water to consume her body.

Soon enough, the others reached the edge of the water as well and began to splash around. I stopped a little way away from the shore, Peter and Remus with me. Remus looked at me and then looked at the water longingly. "You can go in, but know that if you die out there because you're being stupid, I will bring you back to life just to kill you again," I told him jokingly. "Please just be careful." He gave me a quick kiss and then joined our friends out in the water.

As I moved to take a seat on the beach, Peter helped me get onto the ground and then took a seat next to me. "You don't want to get in, Pete?" I asked as I crossed my legs.

"I'm not too fond of open water, or swimming for that matter," he explained. "Besides, someone's going to have to jump in to save their sorry asses if they start to drown, and I don't think you're quite fit for that right now." I smiled at Peter and let out a slight laugh. Peter could be quite the kidder when he wanted to be and the thought of him having to dive into the water to save any of them was quite funny.

Alexa came running toward us and stopped overtop of me and began to shake out her hair, slinging water all over me. I protested slightly, but not really caring because the cool water felt amazing on my skin. James who was complaining about something then called Peter closer to the water and Peter, not seeing the obvious trap set before him, did as requested. Once Peter was close enough, James grabbed his arm and pulled him into the water. Alexa began to ring her hair out as she gave me a smile. "How are you doing, Lyls?" she questioned.

"I'm great," I responded. "How are you?"

As she looked out at the water and with a smile on her face she responded. "I'm so incredibly happy," she told me. A wide smile just crept across my face as I felt immense joy for my sister. "Now, I'd never admit this to anyone else, but I really think Sirius might be the one." She turned to look at me and there was a mix of excitement and nervousness in her eyes. "With you and Remus getting married and starting a family, it's really got me thinking about my future and mine and Sirius's future together.

"I remember you told me one time how you knew Remus was the one you wanted to spend the rest of your life with. You told me that you seriously pictured your life without Remus and nothing seemed to fit. Nothing felt right if he wasn't in the future scenes of your life. Well," she continued, shrugging her shoulders, "I pictured my life years from now and I couldn't even come up with a scenario where Sirius wasn't there. And I don't know if we'll be together romantically until the end, but that doesn't matter. Regardless of what are relationship becomes, I want him in my life."

She paused here for a moment and looked down at her feet that she had dug into the sand. I could tell that something was bothering her beneath the surface level of happiness. "But, Lyla," she said, "It absolutely terrifies me that I want him so badly. I've been starting to realize that, in some ways, I need him in my life, and that scares me; especially given our track record."

"Alexa," I told her, "I know exactly how you feel." I gave her a comforting smile. "Even though I knew Remus was the one, the whole time we were planning the wedding I was freaking out inside. Falling in love with someone is one of the greatest experiences a person can have but when you love something so much it can be a bit overwhelming and scary. To think that you'd be willing to do things that you maybe wouldn't normally do for another person is, at times, an unsettling experience. But the love that you share with the other person makes all the scary parts totally worth it and you experience them together and that makes you even closer." She let out a breath and nodded her head to what I was saying. She seemed a little bit more at ease but far from content.

"And let me tell you," I added, "Even though I had come to the realization that Remus was the one, I also remembered that a relationship comprises of two people. Remus was the one for me, but what if I wasn't the one for Remus?" Alexa took in what I said and looked a little panicked. "Now, before you freak out, I just want to say that you shouldn't worry about what will happen to you and Sirius in the future. Don't think about the 'what ifs' just concentrate on what is. If you make the most of your relationship in the present I have no doubt you two will go the distance. And for what it's worth, I love Sirius, he's one of my best friends, and if you were going to spend your life with anyone on this planet, I could think of no better person for my sister."

She gave me a smile and a slight nudge. "That means a lot to me, Lyls," she said. "You have no idea how reassuring that is."

"And just so you know, even though I'm married now and about to be a mother, I will always have time for you," I told her. "As cheesy as it sounds, even though we're growing up, we'll never grow apart. I'm so lucky to have you by my side as I open this whole new chapter of my life; without you, I think I'd go insane."

Alexa pulled me into a hug and we held each other for some time. When we released each other, Blair had joined us on the beach. She pulled her soaked hair over her shoulder and attempted to rid it of excess water. She must have picked up on the sentimental moment Alexa and I had just shared because she herself began to purge herself of all her emotional worries. "This is our last year at Hogwarts, ladies," she stated. "After this year, it's off into the real world where we are expected to make something of ourselves."

We sat there for a few moments, letting what she said sink in. With all the stuff going on with the wedding and the baby, I hardly had had time to realize that we were approaching our final year of schooling. "I'm scared shitless," Blair admitted. "And I'm sad. I mean, after this year, we won't necessarily get to spend every day and every moment with one another. I've gotten so used to having you lot around that I don't know what I'm going to do without you guys. We could all end up in completely different parts of the world and never see each other again." At this, Blair began to cry. The alcohol must have been heightening her emotions because Blair just cried freely and unashamed. After a few moments of tears, her mascara began to run and there were noticeable lines streaking her face.

"Don't say that, Blair," Alexa comforted, looking like she was on the verge of tears herself. "We'll always stay in touch, no matter where we end up. Nothing will keep us apart."

"That's easy for you to say," she countered. "You two are sisters, you guys will always have to see each other. However, it will be all to easy to let me fall to the wayside."

A wave of sadness consumed me as I listed to and watched my dear friend. My hormones were running rampant and my emotions were uncontrollable. I began to cry as well, not able to contain the tears any longer. "Blair, we couldn't let you fall to the wayside even if we wanted to," I informed her. "You are our sister, Blair. You've have been a part of this family since first year. We are a family and there's no changing that."

Alexa let out a sob and grabbed the two of us and held us close. It was a little melodramatic but none of us really cared. We clung to one another like it was our last night together and let our tears and laughter roll freely as we relived some of our finer moments and discussed the future. We promised each other right there on that beach in Italy that we would never forget one another, no matter where life took us and that we would always be there to support one another.

"What the hell is going on?" we heard James ask. We turned toward the water and saw all of our friends had abandoned the cool waves to join us on land.

"We were just talking about our seventh year and how we're going to miss everyone after we graduate when everything changes and how much we love everyone," Blair replied.

"And you guys are seriously crying about that?" Sirius asked. "I don't understand women."

Alexa wiped the residual tears from her face and pulled her hair up off her face. "I'll give you something to cry about, Black," she threatened. Alexa sprung up from her seat and took off after Sirius. Sirius quickly ran toward the house, evading Alexa for only a moment. She launched herself onto his back and he caught her with ease. The others followed after them and drifted into the night. Remus helped me from my spot on the beach and we walked silently back to the house.

Once back at the house, Giacomo bid us all goodnight and stepped out onto the front porch with Lily for a few moments. The rest of us were pretty knackered and retired to our rooms to get some sleep, the jetlag definitely setting in by now. I climbed into bed first and immediately threw all the covers off me and onto Remus's side of the bed. I had put a cooling charm on our room and the room still felt a little warm. I was wearing a thin loose nightgown and I still felt uncomfortably hot. Remus, on the other hand was wearing a sweatshirt, sweatpants and thick wool socks when he came to bed. I laughed slightly at his winter attire and was so thankful that he was being patient with my all my crazy temperature changes.

As he pulled the covers on his side of the bed back I said, "Goodnight, Remus." He helped me arrange the pillows so I could get comfortable and then he bent down and placed a gentle kiss on my protruding belly.

"Goodnight, my sweet little daughter," he whispered to the baby. "And goodnight to my darling wife," he said, now to me, placing a deep kiss on my lips. "I love you so much." I returned his sentiments and then we both drifted off to sleep.

The week passed and before we knew it, we were back in good old England. It had been one of the best weeks of my life. Every day we just spent our time enjoying the beach and each other's company. Lily had grown rather close to Giacomo over the week and I wasn't sure if he was going to let her leave. I was surprised he didn't ask her to stay and marry him or something. Lily said it was just a summer, whirlwind romance, but I knew that wasn't entirely true. They agreed to write to one another and that maybe one day, he could come visit her, and us, in England.

Upon our return, Remus and I threw ourselves into married life. Not every day was easy and we fought about stupid stuff occasionally, but we were still in the honeymoon phase of our relationship. Alexa and Sirius spent quite a bit of time at our apartment and we would often assemble the entire group to hang out.

I also had another doctor's appointment when we got back. I was moving right along in my pregnancy and the baby was growing. They said that she was a little smaller than most babies at that stage but that it was nothing to worry about. I didn't really dwell on it because Alexa and I were both small when we were born but Remus was convinced something was wrong. He became his overprotective self again for a while and I had to remind him to back off otherwise I was going to go nuts.

As school approached we received our lists and such, but for some, an added little bonus came that shocked some. Remus had been chosen as prefect again but I hadn't been chosen for the upcoming year. I obviously knew why I hadn't been chosen and I probably would have declined even if I had been, but it still hurt a little. I was a little jealous of Remus but I knew I was going to be extremely busy and wouldn't have time to carry out any prefect duties. Although, I wondered if Remus would even have time for his prefect duties given that he will soon have father duties, but I didn't want to ruin the moment for him; we'd cross that bridge when we came to it.

Lily was chosen as Head Girl, a position that she had been vying for, ever since first year, and honestly, no one deserved it more than she did. The surprise came in the appointment of Head Boy. Alexa was convinced that Dumbledore was drunk when he appointed James as Head Boy. Even though James's behavior was questionable at times, I truly believed that he would rise to the occasion and make us all proud; I know his parents were thrilled.

Our last year was hurdling toward us and there were days that I felt like I could barely breathe. We had NEWTs this year and I had the added pressure of my daughter being born. I was beginning to doubt my ability to do this but I tried not to let on to anybody. I just had to pray, hope and wish that everything would be okay; and I don't know if that'll even do it. All I can say is: Merlin help me!

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><p>Author's Note:<p>

So, it's literally been forever since we updated this and for that we are sorry. We didn't want to update and then not know where the story was going. We've got half of chapter 9 written so we should have that up in September or something but please, remain patient: Junior year of college is whipping our ass and it's only the first full week for both of us. We loveeee you guys and look forward to hearing your feedback. Remember, even if we don't respond or it takes us 20 dick years to update, every time you tell us your thoughts on the story we smile.

Besos y abrazos! :D


	9. Rule 72: Never Leave a Man Behind

"I don't want to go!" I moaned out as Sirius proceeded to tickle my feet while we lay on my bed the morning of September 1st, our last first day ever at Hogwarts. "If you don't make me go," I promised while he let up on tickling me and placed his hands in his lap, "I'll let you keep me locked in your room and you can have your way with me."

"You let me do that anyway," Sirius uttered out while pulling me closer to him on the bed. As my head dragged across the mattress, creating static electricity that would have my hair spinning around my head like a muggle's Halloween witch, I tried to think of something else. "You have to go to school, Alexa. Otherwise you'll force me to hang out with a prefect and the head boy all year. Do you know what torture that would be?"

"Well, I have to hang out with a pregnant woman and Blair. I think I would do better here or at your apartment." I told him while sitting up and smoothing my hair down.

Sirius tucked a strand of my straightened hair behind my ear. "It's best that we stay together as much as possible this year." He stated with a grin and I nodded my head as seriously as I could.

"You're right. Best not to separate in the midst of all the madness." As we leaned closer to make ourselves a little later, the door to my room burst open, a maniacal James standing in the doorframe.

"What are you all doing? We're going to be late for the train and if I lose my head badge on the first day my mum is going to slap me upside the head with her ring hand." Bounding off the bed, I made my way over to James, leaving Sirius to flick his wand and make the bed back up.

Ruffling my hand through James' uncontrollable hair, I patted him on the shoulder before scooping up Little Sirius, who was to be the newest residence in the dorms with us this year. "I'm ready, James. I don't know what you're talking about." With that I tramped down the stairs, making a large amount of noise to alert my parents to my presence. Lately, for some unknown reason (cough midlife crisis cough) they had been extremely affectionate, and if I had to run into them making googly eyes or kissing again I was going to loose it.

"Toss me that chocolate chip muffin, Blair." I said while walking over to the kitchen table to pour myself a glass of juice. With direct precision, Blair tossed me the muffin and then went back to staring into her coffee. "Something wrong?" I asked while I sat down and began to unwrap my breakfast.

"It's just getting a little tiring listening to James talk about being head boy and having all these responsibilities lately." She told me in a whisper, looking around and trying to make sure that no one was eavesdropping. We were meeting Remus and Lyla at the train, James and Sirius were in charge of placing the bags in the car so my parents could go with us to the train, and I had no clue where said parents were.

"He's just taking it really seriously because he hasn't been entrusted to do this sort of thing for Dumbledore. Maybe he hopes it'll make a good impression on the Order if he does well in this position?" I chewed my muffin slowly, trying to think of more things to say to help her with her patience.

Blair shrugged and drinks her coffee quickly before getting up and placing her mug in the sink. "Maybe. I don't know." With a sigh, she placed her hands through her hair quickly and sits back down.

"Hey, don't be too worried about it. He'll still have time to hang and stuff. He has help too." I bit down on my tongue just a second to late but I've already said the deadly words.

"Yeah, Lily Evans, just the girl that he used to have the biggest crush on in the face of the whole universe." Blair frowned and then rubbed a hand over her eyes. "Okay, I know that's stupid of me, but come on. What would you do if Sirius had a huge crush on a girl and then all of sudden is about to be spending tons of time with her." Chewing on the inside of my lip, I tried to think of something to help her with, but I know that if something like that happened I would be the first one to freak out.

"Just trust him, Blair. That's all I can tell you. Take it from me; when he thinks you don't trust him it goes downhill really quickly." I sighed and finished my muffin, getting up just as James and Sirius came traipsing through the kitchen. "Want something to eat before we leave boys?"

Sirius took a seat at the table and grinned evilly. "You." He said with a laugh and I kept my face blank while looking at him.

"You are a complete freak." I said while rolling my eyes before placing a wild berry muffin on his plate, being the fantastic girlfriend that I am and still giving him his favorite. "James, why don't you sit down before you give yourself a hernia?" I suggested while James continued to pace.

"I can't. I have this weird feeling about today." He rubbed a spot on his chest and shook his hands out. "There's a feeling I can't shake." Blair looked at him cautiously and then stood up to give him a hug.

"Why don't we just leave for the Express so you can feel better?" She suggested and we all agreed that it's probably a good idea before we go in search for my parents. Once we were in the car, Sirius began his assault on James' psyche.

"Mister Potter, Alexa pulled my hair. Can you give her a detention?" He asked while trying to keep a straight face. James, for his part, ignored him studiously until we got to the train station. It was quieter than the usual screaming din of people and I began to feel weird as well, looking quickly around for Lyla and Remus and hoping that they made it to the station soon.

"I'm going to go put our stuff on the train," Sirius said as we passed through the pillar that led us onto platform 9 ¾ where we hoped to find Lyla and Remus. As everyone milled around and James talked to his parents and my own parents as they stood to the side, Blair and I searched the crowd that had yet to board the train for my sister and her husband. It had only been a few days since we had last seen them, as they had had to go see Dumbledore about their school arrangements and I'd been busy packing my life away as best I could into the trunk, but I felt like I hadn't seen my sister in forever.

"There she is!" Blair called out while pointing towards a short brown bob and Remus' sandy head of hair. "Lyla! Remus! Over here!"

They turned towards us, waving, before Remus pulled their trunks towards us and Lyla hustled up to us. "Hey. Gods it feels like I haven't seen you all in forever." Lyla said while pulling us into a hug. As her maternal hormones had started to flourish, Lyla became a little more touchy feely than she had been before. It was funny and I enjoyed seeing her be so happy about life.

"Yeah, I mean, three days is such a long time. How did we ever go without?" Remus jested as he met up with us. Lyla stuck her tongue out at her husband, who wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. Sirius and James quickly joined us as our parents all milled about and talked to some of the other parents.

"Does anyone else feel anxious and jittery?" Sirius asked in a rare show of nervousness. I looked at him and raised my eyebrows when I noticed that he couldn't seem to stand still.

"I mean it's probably just because it's our last year, Pads." James said, but I noticed that he too seemed more unstable than he usually was.

Blair shoved James slightly and then put her arm around his waist as he placed his arm over her shoulder, using her as an armrest as she rolled her eyes at him. "You guys need to calm it down. You're acting like damn fools." She relented as some clouds darkened overhead, the sun no longer shining through.

As the temperature cooled off, I started to feel the same way that Sirius had mentioned before. A feeling of dread came over me and I looked around, trying to see if anyone else was having the same reaction as I was. Blair's face was pale and she gripped onto James a little tighter. Sirius grasped my hand as Lyla put a hand over her stomach. "Okay, now I don't know what you all are trying to pull but stop it." I said in a shaky voice, as it got quieter around the platform. Everyone was staring around them, no one knowing what to do.

Sirius, James, and Remus shrugged, looking just as confused as everyone else. Then, as if answering the question in everyone's mind, someone from down the platform called out 'Dementors' and the platform went crazy. Out of the shadows, dark black masses swooped into the platform, and we ducked quickly as Sirius pulled us down. Lyla, James, and Sirius pulled their wands out; ready to do whatever they could when Blair called out for our parents.

It occurred to me then that I had left my wand in the trunk I had given Sirius to put on the train earlier. Breaking free from Sirius' grasp, I pulled Blair with me when I saw her standing up and directly in the line of fire as wands were pulled out and lights started flashing every where. "We have to find the parents. My mom is clueless and I don't have my wand."

Blair nodded, and then grabbed Lyla as a beam of red jetted by her. "What the hell are you doing?" Lyla yelled out when Blair started to drag her with us.

"Sirius! I don't have my wand." I yelled to him as he stood with James and Remus, dodging spells from the men in masks that had arrived shortly after the hooded dementors. His eyes widened for a moment before he looked towards the train and gestured with his eyes. I shook my head and his jaw clenched before he ducked over to where we were standing.

"You all need to take care of Lyla and get her out of here. Go back through the pillar if you have to and wait for me in the girl's bathroom, okay? It looks like this is only contained to the platform now." Remus hustled over and took Lyla by the hand.

"Let's go, ladies." He said in an authoritative voice and we were swept away before I knew what was happening. I searched the crowds as we made our way back to the land of the muggles and frowned when I couldn't see James or Sirius anymore. The next thing I know, I was being pushed through the entrance back into King's Cross. No one was any the wiser as we strolled out into the open. It was calm and collected, as much as the 11 o'clock rush allowed, on this side and my heart raced.

"We have to go back." I stated as quickly as I could while Blair looked around, tears in her eyes.

"I agree with Alexa. We can't just let all those people deal with this on their own." Lyla argued while Remus stood his ground, shaking his head.

"No. Lyla you are pregnant and those are dementors. They'll get you before you can do anything to stop them. Alexa, you don't even have a wand." He sighed and hustled us towards the bathrooms where Sirius told us to go. "Like I said before, no. Our parents are competent and wizards. They're not going to let anything happen to each other. James and Sirius are both in the Order. They're smart and can take care of themselves."

"And what about everyone else; the first years and the younger kids?" Blair asked, her hands shaking as she leaned against the sinks and took a deep breath.

"Help will be here soon. I'm sure of it." Remus lamented and we sat in silence while the world continued on around us.

Less than an hour later, although it seemed like an eternity, I spotted a head of dark hair as I sat outside on a bench near the bathroom. Jumping up, I felt my heart leap into my throat as I sprinted forward and jumped into Sirius, who wrapped his arms around me tightly, lifting me to him as we hugged fiercely. "I am so happy you are okay." I mumbled into his neck, realizing that I had started crying without noticing.

"Everything is alright now." He told me as he squeezed me tighter and then lowered me back down. "James is helping the younger kids onto the train with Lily. Most of them have left when everything started but a few of them are still there. Your parents are in their helping with Mr. and Mrs. Potter." I nodded and let out a sigh of relief as he took my hand and we waited for Lyla, Remus, and Blair to walk over.

He told everyone about what was going on and then we walked back to the platform, entering into what looked like a wasteland. When they were all up to date on what had happened, we walked back to the platform, bracing ourselves as we entered into what looked like a wasteland of the nearly empty platform and scattered debris. I looked at one of the trunks lying on the ground, clothes scattered around it, as a book lay torn and trampled by its side. The war we'd all wished away was here now; it was time to stop living in the dark. Sirius placed a hand on my shoulder, alerting me to the fact that he was still there, and I took a deep breath before turning around to face him.

His hair was curling around his collar, grown out from the many times he'd forgotten to cut it in the haze of summer, and he looked older suddenly. I wondered if that was how it would be from now on. If we'd just keep getting older and older, until one day we'd forget about all the things that made life fun, and would just be those people who had been weathered by tragedy and destruction. Taking my eyes away from him, I glanced around the platform once more. The feeling of being pressed down upon, something akin to being smothered, began to smother me.

"This can't be how it's going to go," I said, while trying to stop my voice from shaking. "It's not fair. It's not how things are supposed to happen. This is our last year; we're supposed to grow up and have fun and be young. Lyla is supposed to have her baby, they're supposed to be happy and safe."

"I know, Alexa." Sirius said, bringing his hand away from my shoulder to grasp my own.

"This isn't safe. This isn't happy. This is destruction and war and terribleness. It's everything that life isn't supposed to be. How can one person be that cruel?" I couldn't stop my voice from trembling, and I pulled out of Sirius' grasp, walking away down the platform. I picked up the first trunk that I found, piling the contents back into the space provided. Tears stung my eyes but they didn't fall, and I refused to let them.

It wasn't the time to be weak I had to remind myself. As I continued to repack the scattered trunks, occasionally running upon families who were doing the same, I tried to compile a list of all the information I had heard about this man who had sent the Dementors today. I knew he hated muggles and things non-magical. I thought about my mom who had never been magically inclined in her life. I thought about Gran, who knew almost nothing of this world. I knew that he didn't take kindly to those that were not of the most pure blood. I thought of Lyla and her child, both being half-bloods. I thought of Remus, his blood riddled with the lycan curse.

By the time I stood up, my head was spinning with the realization that we were all in danger. There were none of us that were safe. Even James and Sirius, both pure-blooded wizards, would be put in danger for refusing to side with Voldemort. I didn't know what to think, my eyes pricking with tears, and I knew in that moment, that seventh year was going to be full of changes and decisions, ones that I didn't necessarily want to make.


	10. Rule 44: Regarding a Marauder's Health

_Disclaimer: We do not own anything but Alexa, Lyla, and Blair. Anything you recognize belongs to the esteemed J.K. Rowling, and we are only borrowing them for a short while. _

_Author's Note: _Hello you lovely ladies and gentlemen! It's babyblue here. I am so unbelievably sorry that I haven't updated this story normally in what has now been almost 4 years. I don't know how I could have ever let it get to this, but you could say that I took a bit of a hiatus from Harry Potter fanfiction to dabble in the Soccer fandom for a bit. However, I am back to where my heart truly lies – with the Marauders. I want to thank you for sticking with this if you're crazy enough to check back on us, and if not, then I want to say thank you for finding us again. We would be nowhere without our readers. Anyway, without further ado, here is chapter 10 of the Marauder's Guide. I hope you all enjoy and deem us worthy of your reviews. Love always, Babyblue and AmuletGirl.

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><p><em>Previously On <em>The Marauder's Guide: To All Things Good…

_ The summer started with preparations for the Wedding of the Year, aka Lyla and Remus being joined in Holy Matrimony. After moving out of their respective houses, Remus and Lyla joined the long list of newlyweds who live in a new apartment of their own, preparing for the birth of a little baby Lyla. Sirius and Alexa are currently together again, after spending the majority of the summer tiptoeing around the fact that they were still madly in love with each other. James has just been named Head Boy, while Blair frets over the idea of James and Lily in such close quarters. As the summer came to an end, the six best friends that anyone could have were reunited on the platform of the Hogwarts Express, where they got their first taste of the brewing war between Voldemort and his followers and the Order of the Phoenix. Which leads us to this very chapter…_

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><p><em>Alexa's Point of View<em>

_Rule 44: Should a marauder, or an associate of a marauder, be put in a tricky situation, it is your duty as a fellow marauder to prevent said marauder or associate from being harmed._

"The headmaster would like to speak with the six of you." McGonagall began walking away as I looked over at Lyla, who seemed just as shocked as I was. She shrugged her shoulders, moving to follow our Head of House when said woman glanced behind her and said in her sternest voice, "Now." It was like my legs were moving of their own accord as they followed her from the doors of Hogwarts to the Grand Staircase. I felt Sirius take my hand in his own, his thumb rubbing over the tops of my knuckles, and I let myself relax into his side.

The train ride had been one of the most silent rides I had been on in my 7 years of school. The trolley never once made its rickety way down the corridors, there were no first years running around the compartments looking for friends, and not once did I hear the telltale sound of magic being done. It had been empty, long, and silent, with only occasional questions and their answers breaking the barrier in our own compartment.

Blair, who had been silent since her outburst of tears when she saw that James was in one piece once we got back to the platform after the attack, finally spoke. "What do you think is going on? Do you think this is about the," she lowered her whisper even more, "Order?"

Remus shrugged, his arm around Lyla's waist tightening imperceptibly. "It could be. Though it wouldn't make much sense for Alexa to be here then, seeing as he made it perfectly clear that we be of age to join."

"Hey! I resent that." I spoke up, trying to lighten the dark mood that lingered over my friends. Sirius, understanding what I was trying to do, bumped my nose lightly with our joined hands.

"Tiny little Alexa Parker, still but a wee tyke of 16," James, for the first time since we got on the train, cracked a smile and a little joke. I felt a sense of relief wash over me. If James, who looked the most troubled of us all, could crack a joke then I knew things were going to be all right.

"Maybe he just wants to see us about keeping us all in line this year," I looked at Lyla with a raised eyebrow, then pointedly at her stomach.

"Says the mother-to-be. Maybe we should have been the ones keeping you in line after all this time, hmm?" I used my free hand to pull Lyla away from Remus, and then put my arm through hers. She squeezed my arm, pushing her elbow into my own, and I removed my hand from Sirius' to pat her very pregnant belly. "Did you hear that, Little Alexa? Your mommy is a very bad influence on all her friends."

"If you would please unhand my wife," Remus said playfully, giving Lyla a quick kiss on the cheek. "And we've told you numerous times, we're not naming our baby Little Alexa. We can't have another one of you running around. One's bad enough."

"A very true assessment, Mr. Lupin." We all looked up from our teasing to find Dumbledore standing in front of us, a pleasant smile on his face despite the fact that his eyes were troubled. "If you would please follow me?"

I stepped in line behind Lyla as we made our way up the stairs, trying to listen to James and Sirius' whispering behind us. Blair, who was at the head of the line, looked behind her at all of us, pulling a face and nodding at the long line of gargoyles lining the winding staircase as we followed our headmaster up to the top.

"What are you two talking about?" I said in my lowest voice, pausing before entering the office to look at James and Sirius, both who appeared rather guilty to be caught.

"Nothing, love. Let's go in," Sirius put his arm on my lower back, ushering me into Dumbledore's office. I crossed my arms over my chest, knowing something was going on but not wanting to push it. As we gathered around the desk in the middle of the room, I tried not to be amazed at how much the office seemed to have changed since the last time I had been in this room. Everything seemed to shine with some sort of hidden magic, and just as I was starting to turn my head every which way to get the best staring in, Dumbledore began to talk.

"I'd like to thank all of you for the courage you showed on the platform today, especially you Mister Potter. Taking your Head Boy duties seriously already." There was a slight smile on his face as he said this, and I looked over to the chair two down from mine to see James turn slightly red in the ears at the compliment. "Now, I know you must have some questions about why this happened and how it happened, but I can only tell you at this point that it is being looked into by some of the top aurors in the Ministry and they assure me they are doing everything they can to get to the bottom of it."

"With all due respect, sir, how do they plan to do that exactly?" I looked in surprise at Blair, who looked very skeptical at the idea of the Ministry doing anything to help. Dumbledore looked at Blair, his eyes twinkling again as he nodded in agreement.

"They haven't deemed it necessary to inform me of their ideas yet, Miss Winchester, but I assume it will be met with much deliberation and looking deeply at pieces of parchment." I couldn't help the grin that formed on my face, despite the fact that the subject was so serious. I found great comfort in the fact that, even in the face of the dangers we faced today, Dumbledore was able to be so upbeat. If that wasn't enough for me to feel safe, then what was?

As Dumbledore continued to talk, and answer the questions of the very quizzical group of people I called friends, I thought about how, even though there was nothing to prove me right or wrong, the castle I had called home for the better part of 6 years felt so much safer than I had even felt at home. Within the walls, the winding hallways, the hidden chambers, I felt like nothing could reach me. It felt that nothing would hurt me here. For what felt like the first time in hours, I took a real breath, one that wasn't tinged with worry or fear.

Someone cleared their throat, and I looked up to realize I had been staring blankly at a portrait of one of the past headmasters for the better part of the last ten minutes. He had the most outraged look on his face, and I felt myself blushing as he shook his head derisively and muttered something about ungrateful children. As I looked back at my friends, I realized that everyone was staring at me, Lyla rolling her eyes as Sirius and James sat stoically and unimpressed. When I turned to Dumbledore, he was smiling slightly, the troubled look in his eyes replaced by amusement.

"Uh, could you repeat the question?" I felt myself color even more as Dumbledore's smile widened and he let out a slight chuckle.

"As I was saying, Miss Parker, you are still under age and will not be of age until the twelfth of December, is that right?" I nodded and Dumbledore looked satisfied as he turned towards the rest of the group. "I'm sure you are well aware at this point then, of the group I have begun to organize known as the Order of the Phoenix. While it is true that many of the members of the group and I have decided that all members be of age when joining, I'm willing to make a special exception in this case. You are a bright witch, Alexa, and seeing as the rest of your friends have already been instituted as members, I would like to also extend the offer to you."

I felt the breath leave my lungs, my fear of the war beginning outside the walls crowding my thoughts. I felt Sirius take my hand and squeeze lightly, before he spoke. "I'm sorry, headmaster, but I don't think it's right for Alex to join yet. She's not old enough and it's not safe for her to be out there."

"I agree with Sirius," James said as he steepled his hands together. He looked over at me, giving me an apologetic look. "I couldn't stop the rest of us from joining, but I don't think it's right for Alexa to be apart of it yet. What if she were to get hurt?"

"I'm right here, you know? And I'm not a child. I've had just as much schooling as the rest of you. I'm just as capable." I spoke up, feeling anger bubbling inside of me as Sirius and James looked at me like I was out of my mind. I turned to my sister, to Remus and Blair that were sitting on the other side of me. "Tell them they're wrong."

"Alexa," Remus started, and I could tell by the look on his face that he was about to agree with the other two Marauders. I shook my head in disbelief.

"Lyla is pregnant, Remus. She's joined the Order, and no one has had anything to say about that." I gave my sister an apologetic look, but she smiled at me.

"I think she should be allowed to make the decision for herself." I gave Lyla and appreciative look, which she returned. "I don't want anything to happen to Alexa, but I also don't want anything to happen to anyone else, and if everyone else was allowed to join then I say she should be able to as well."

I turned to Blair, who shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not going to tell you what to do, Alexa. This is your choice to make and yours alone." She reached over, patting me on the arm in her mother hen way. I sat up straighter in my chair, looking at Dumbledore who had watched the exchange silently, the half-smile ever on his lips.

"Sir, if it's all right with you, I'd like to have a few days to think about it." I couldn't tell what Dumbledore was thinking, and I wanted so badly to take back my words, but I knew that what I was saying was what I wanted. How could I commit to something with all my support if I didn't know that I would be able to be a fighter when the time came? It was selfish, probably one of the most selfish things I had done in my life, but I knew what was coming and what was associated with war. How did I know I'd be able to kill someone, even someone as cruel as Voldemort, when I could barely stomp on a bug?

"I think that is a very smart decision, Miss Parker. I'll expect your answer in a short time, then." He looked at the rest of my friends, to Blair and Lyla who returned his smile, to Remus who did his best to seem unworried, and to James and Sirius who both looked like he'd just told them he wanted Slytherin to win the House Cup. "Now, I'd like a few words with Mr. Potter about his position about Head Boy, but the rest of you may be dismissed. I believe dinner should be starting shortly." We stood up to leave, Sirius pulling the door open and almost running poor Lily Evans over as she stood poised to knock. "Miss Evans, right on time, please come in."

I looked over at Blair, gauging her reaction, but she seemed calm as she placed a chaste kiss on James' cheek, smiled a greeting at Lily, and followed after Sirius. As Remus went on ahead, I walked with Lyla, who was slow going on the staircase as she tried not to fall. "Hey, thanks for sticking up for me in there, Lyls. I know it was just something little, but I appreciate it."

"It's a hard decision to make, Alex. But it's one that I don't want anyone else making for you. And besides, what are sisters for if they don't take your side every once in awhile?" She stepped from the last stair, letting out a breath and frowning down at her pregnant belly. "I can't wait to just give birth."

"Preferably not here in front of Dumbledore's office though, yeah?" I teased and she rolled her eyes. "You know, sisters are also for sharing their cool new digs with their other sister?"

"Ah, yes, let me just tell Remus, who by the way is my husband, that he needs to go back to sleeping in the boy's dormitory. I'm sure that will go over swimmingly. I mean, why would he want to sleep with his wife anyway?" Lyla stated sarcastically, and I shrugged my shoulders and nodded in agreement.

"Exactly. Anyway, I've heard she snores and likes to keep the room frigid like an icebox. Who would want to sleep with that anyway?" We laughed with each other, making our way towards the Gryffindor common room to change into our robes, me making my way to the girl's dorms while Lyla branched off right before the common room to go to her new rooms. The Fat Lady, who looked less thrilled to see me than she did Lyla, asked for the newest password that I hadn't heard yet.

"I'll need the password to let you in." She said with a very arrogant air about her. I glared, biting my tongue from saying something very rude that would probably get me locked out of the common room for weeks to come.

"Can't you just go to your other portrait and tell someone to come out and let me in? Please?" I was close to losing my mind at this point, but she continued to stare at me with her haughty look. I opened my mouth to let out some stream of colorful curses when the portrait swung open and the Fat Lady let out a huff.

"Sorry, Alex! I forgot you wouldn't know the password yet," Blair said, flustered from what appeared to be running down the stairs half-clothed. Her shirt was on inside out, her skirt sideways and half-zipped, and she was only wearing one sock and shoe. "It's flobberworm, by the way. The password."

"Yes, thank you for clarifying. Here was me thinking you were talking about your new perfume." Blair sent me a horrified look, lifting her shirt up to smell it. "I was kidding, Blair! You don't smell like flobberworms." The laughter coming through in my voice must have been too much for Blair because she gave me a wide-eyed look and then took a calming breath.

"Sorry, I just have been panicking a little over what Dumbledore could be talking to James and Lily about. I mean I know they are supposed to have a dorm to themselves and stuff, but Lily's trunk is on one of the beds upstairs so I don't know what's going on and it's killing me." She took a break from freaking out to walk up the stairs to our dorm faster than a human being should go upstairs, and I trudged along after her, trying to catch my breath. I was definitely not looking forward to walking to class everyday.

"You know, Blair," I started, pausing to catch my breath. Why did we have to go so far up to get to the seventh year dorms? "I would think that you'd be happy that Lily will be in our dorms this year, that way you won't have to worry about James and Lily being in the same area."

"You'd think, but then I started to give it a little more thought. If they don't have the same common area for just them, they'll have to go somewhere else to talk about their duties and stuff, and then he'll have to spend even more alone time with her." She looked at me while flipping her shirt back the right way and buttoning it up. I gave her a patented confused face, and she just threw her hands up. "You don't get it, Alexa. But that's okay."

"Look, you just have to trust James to do what is right. He loves you, and that's all you need to know." I started to pull things out of my trunk, looking for the set of newer robes I had gotten that didn't have ink spilled all over one of the sleeves. As I began to get changed into my school uniform, I gave Blair one last nugget of thought to chew on. "And just in case you refuse to let go of this crazy notion in your head, just remember, don't let James in on the fact that you're crazy."

"Don't you worry. I've got this all under control." Blair said, tapping the side of her forehead in a knowing way. I nodded my head, not believing her for a minute. I pulled my brush from my trunk, walking into the bathroom to brush the knots out of my hair and use the mirror to put my hair up into some semblance of style. When I came out, Lyla was sitting casually on my bed, already in her uniform and flipping through a magazine.

"Hello stealth." I said, scooting her feet off my trunk so I could remove some of my bathroom supplies and claim a sink as my own in the bathroom. "When did you decide to take over my title as Queen of Stealth?" I asked when I came back into the room.

"I've always been stealthy, Alexa, I just let you borrow the crown for awhile." I opened my mouth to protest, but then thought of all the times Lyla had snuck up on me when we were younger, and I closed my mouth. "I knew you'd see it my way."

"Whatever," I said, flipping my hair over my shoulder nonchalantly. "Anyway, where's good old Remus at?" I dumped an armful of clothes into one of the drawers of my wardrobe and went back for another load.

"He's trying to get Sirius to hurry up with changing into his uniform. Shouldn't you be sorting those?" Lyla, I could tell, was itching to get up and do it for me, but I waved her off.

"I have a system. Uniforms in one drawer, socks and under things in another, all other clothes in the last drawer, and anything I deem fancy hanging in the top. What's taking Sirius so long, I wonder?" I shut the last drawer, taking my makeup out of the trunk. I looked at the shoes left inside, shrugged my shoulders, and shut the trunk putting it at the end of my bed. Placing my makeup in the bathroom, I came back to sit at the end of my bed and wait for Blair to be ready.

"He's probably scheming up ways to get you to not join the Order." Blair said as she shut her trunk and placed it under her bed. She took a look at herself in the full-length mirror and nodded at her reflection. "Ready to go?" As we moseyed down to the common room, Blair and Lyla chatted about the upcoming year. We spotted the boys waiting on one of the couches. "Should we wait for James or go ahead without him?"

"I'm starved, so maybe we should just wait for him in the Great Hall?" Lyla said, looking hopeful that we would agree. I shrugged, and followed the rest of the group towards the smell of delicious food.

Sliding my hand into Sirius', I waited for him to look down at me before giving him my most charming smile. "You're not mad at me, are you?"

"Can we not talk about this right now?" He asked, and I continued to look at him, waiting for him to give in. Running his free hand through his ruffled hair, he let out a sigh. "I'm not happy about it. But you've got to understand, Alex, I just don't want anything bad to happen to you. I've only had you back for a short time and I'm not hoping to let go of you anytime soon."

I felt my heart melt a little at his words, and I snuggled closer to his side, letting go of his hand so he could wrap it around my shoulders while I put my arm around his waist. "I don't want to lose you either. I'm not saying that I'm ready to join it yet, but when and if I am, I'd like it if you would support me in my decision. Plus, if you think about it, we'll have each other to watch each other's backs if it does happen."

"Why don't you just stay home and pine away for me though?" I raised my eyebrows, and he cracked a smile to let me know he was kidding. Squeezing me closer, he let out one of his bark-like laughs, and ruffled my newly brushed out hair. I dodged, moving forward before I turned around and looked back at him. "I'm just imagining you hurling insults at Death Eaters."

"I'll have you know my insults are very stinging." There was laughter from in front of me, and I whipped around to send Remus a very harsh glare. "Don't you laugh at me, Lupin. As my brother in law you are bound to defend me and agree with everything I say."

"Not sure that's actually how it works, Alexa." Remus responded and I let out a long-suffering sigh before letting Sirius catch up to me as we walked with the rest of our friends into the Great Hall.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but that was an extremely disheartening sorting and dinner." I nodded my head in response to Lyla's comment, following the rest of my friends out of the Great Hall. Because both Lily and James were from Gryffindor, they had the duty of taking the first years to the common room. I searched Lyla's face for any sign that she was upset about not being a prefect any longer because of her current situation, but she only seemed tired, not emotional.

"Do you think there's something more that Dumbledore and the teachers aren't telling us? I mean, the attack on the platform probably did send a lot of people home to feel safe, but there were a depressing amount of people gone today." Blair stopped at the top of the stairs to wait for the rest of us as we trudged along after her. We queued up behind a group of third years on the moving staircase so we could get to the Gryffindor dorms, and formed a little circle on the stairs.

"Probably; but with the staff here there's always something going on." Sirius ran a hand through his hair and threw a wink at the passing staircase. I rolled my eyes, reaching up to flick him in the ear. "Hey now! I've got to give the people what they want."

"I wonder if they'd like to see you thrown off this staircase?" I mused aloud, and Lyla let out a small giggle before Sirius gave her an offended look.

"Lyla-darling, really? You would laugh at the jest of your best friend dying?" Sirius placed a hand on his heart, making a pitying look with his signature puppy eyes. "I guess my best friend hugs will just be wasted on someone else then."

Lyla rolled her eyes, reaching over to place her hand on Sirius' shoulder. "I have some bad news for you then, Sirius. If you're going to force me to stop being your best friend then I'll have to find new best friends."

The staircase stopped and we continued to the next, longer set of stairs. The queue was shorter this time, and we reached the top, able to get off at the next platform and walk the short distance to the Common Room. The Fat Lady stood looking at us, making her breasts seem larger by arching her back.

"Anyway, if Sirius is through with being a child, we can get back to the original topic. I'm sure that over the next few days we'll see more people coming into the school. Dumbledore did say that the trains would continue to run for the next few day, and that they would send owls to the students that were missing. It's a pretty safe bet to say that everything is going to go back to normal." Remus, always the voice of reason, assuaged most of our fears with his soothing voice and his smart assessments.

Linking my arm with Blair, we rerouted our positions away from the Fat Lady who was waiting for us to give the signal that we'd like to go inside. "Those are some rousing words of encouragement, Reems, and I thank you for them."

"Now, however, I think we should be introduced to your new digs, don't you?" Blair said, smiling winningly and waiting for Lyla and Remus to give in.

"Yeah, but if we show you where they are then you'll be coming to annoy us any chance you get and can we really afford that?" Lyla retorted, placing her hand on her belly and rubbing slightly. "Though, I guess in all honesty I could do with sitting down."

"Well then! It looks like it's settled. Show us the new pad or be forced to endure the Fat Lady sing." Sirius joked, much to the disparagement of the Fat Lady who let out a 'why, I never!' Remus rolled his eyes, but nevertheless took his captive audience a short walk down the corridor, and stopped in front of the painting of a seascape.

"I swear to the three of you if you use the password to your advantage in any way and we find you in here without our permission," Lyla started, looking over at Remus who nodded along with her.

"We'll find you and we won't hesitate to kill you." Remus finished for her, pointing his wand on the middle cloud above the gently moving painting, and muttering a word under his breath that I couldn't hear. I looked to Sirius, then to Blair trying to see if either of them had heard the word (because Lyla and Remus threatening to kill us was nothing new and nothing too worrying), but it seemed we would have no such luck to use their room as our own personal common area.

"After you," Lyla said, waving her hand in a flourish as the painting jumped open and revealed a small walkway. Sirius led the way, no hesitation evident in his walk, and let out a small gasp as he entered the wide room in which the walkway gave way.

"You all have got to be kidding me! This place is the shit!" Sirius clamped his hand over his mouth, and then looked back at Lyla's stomach. "Sorry, little one. I apologize for those harsh words but once you see your home I'm sure you'll say the same."

"I hardly doubt that Lyla's newborn child is going to use the word 'shit' when they first pop out of her." I said, pushing Sirius further into the room and looking around. Lyla's reprimanding of me went in one ear and out the other as I took in her new home for the year. It was done in soft muted reds and white, gold accents scattered around to hearken back to the Gryffindor common room. There were two plush couches in front of a fireplace that was currently dimmed do to the heat that still lingered after summer.

In one corner of the room was a small kitchenette, with an icebox and small stove. I imagined Lyla or Remus awake late at night with their little baby, warming up bottles of milk and cooing them back to sleep. There were three different doors that lead away from the main room, and I walked over to them. One door was already open, and Blair stood inside what I could see was a baby room. There were a few items that we had brought from Remus and Lyla's apartment, and other things that I assumed had been staffed by the school.

Blair cracked a grin when she saw me, having a small laugh as she looked around. "Please just imagine McGonagall picking out this stuff, especially the little plush toys on the changing table." I smiled along with Blair, not able to stop the giggles that were falling from my lips.

"I wonder if she's a fan of elephants in particular or if someone else picked those out?" There was a group of three elephants in the corner, one clearly a mother, the other the father, and the third the child. I rubbed my hand over the toy's soft fur and smiled. Sirius came into the doorway, popping his head into the room and allowing a small smile to take over. "Have you searched the other two rooms yet?" I asked, walking towards the door to go exploring.

"You're going to flip your lid when you see the bathroom," He said, taking my hand and leading me to the door in the middle of what I assumed would be the main bedroom and then the baby room. When we stepped inside, I felt my mouth drop open. The floors were done in a light white marble, while the double sinks were a beautiful deep blue marble. There was a claw-footed bathtub that looked large enough to fit three or four people in, and in the corner the shower contained three showerheads. There was a view of the grounds and the lake from the far side of the room.

"There is a 90 percent chance that I'm going to leave you for this bathroom," I said, placing my hand on the bathtub and running my fingers over the porcelain.

"You would think that but you really won't because if I find you taking a bath in my tub I'm going to be the saddest of people." Lyla said, laughing as I looked at her in despair. "Come on and look at the bedroom; the bed is probably one of the eight wonders of the world."

As we walked into the main room again, the portrait swung open once more. We waited with baited breath as Lyla and Remus exchanged confused glances, until James stepped in carrying the largest lollypop I had ever seen. "Oh good, you're all here. I was hoping to find you guys." He continued gnawing on the candy, casually looking around the room and making noises of approvement.

"Uhm, sorry, James, not to be rude but how did you get in here?" Remus asked, watching in disbelief as James stuck the whole sucker into his mouth, which stretched widely and made the lewdest noise I had ever heard. My face went crimson as Sirius choked on his laugh beside me. Blair rolled her eyes at her boyfriend, shaking her head at him in disgust. As James pulled the lolly back out again, he grinned like a crazy person.

"Well, this was originally going to be the heads dorms, so I have the password. And really, I have the password to all the common rooms so you shouldn't be so surprised." He shrugged, before continuing to eat his lollypop.

"This is such a gross overuse of power," Blair said, pulling the lolly from his hands and tossing it in the bin in the kitchen area. James made a noise of protest as he looked forlornly at the trash.

"It took me ages to convince that first year that lollypops were forbidden in the castle, Bear!" James pouted as she shook her head at him and placed a well-timed thwack to the back of his ruffled hair.

"Oh, man. It's goo to be back, isn't it?" Sirius asked to the general crowd of the room. Lyla made a non-committal noise in the back of her throat before pulling Blair and I into the main bedroom to make us jealous of her new dorm.

"I'm begging you not to make me go! I can't bear the thought of having class today and seeing the teachers again for the first time. Please!" Begging, it seemed, was futile as Blair dragged me down the staircase Monday morning and I held on for dear life. As James and Sirius waited for us at the bottom of the stairs, I continued to plead.

However, it wasn't long before the stairs turned to a slide and Blair and I both went sliding all the way to the bottom. Now, I'll admit, sliding down seven flights of stairs may seem fun in theory, but by the time we landed in the floor by the boys' feet I felt rather sick. "That was so unfunny I forgot to laugh." Blair stated as she started to pick herself up off the floor.

"Yes, well, it's nice to know that we have a surefire way to get you down the stairs if there is ever another need for it," Sirius said, helping me off the floor and keeping my hand after we were standing. I gave him a short kiss on the lips for his help, and then squeezed his hand as tightly as I could with my own until he grimaced.

"That was for knocking us down the stairs, brat." I gave him a cheeky smile, and then started to take in the surroundings. The Common Room was bustling, as students got ready for the first day of classes. I saw first years on the outskirts of the room, checking their uniforms incessantly to make sure everything was in order. A few of the older kids were tossing the book of a small girl to each other above her head.

Pulling my wand from my skirt, I levitated the book from their grasps and floated it back into the girl's hands. When the boys caught my eye, I gave them a patented Evon Parker glare, which they shrunk back from.

"Come on, Alexa!" Matthew and Xavier said at the same time, and I shook my head at them.

"I will not hesitate to write an owl home to your mother, boys. You may be my cousins but bullying is totally unacceptable." The rolled their eyes at me but ceased their teasing nonetheless. As soon as we were out of earshot of my cousins, I let a pretend shiver come over my body. "A little bit of my mother just came out in my voice, and I don't think I liked it."

"It's my sudden authority rubbing off on you, Alex." James said, and I shoved him some with my free hand as I stowed my wand back in the pocket of my robe.

We took turns exiting the Common Room, and when we were all finally out of the portrait, I heard an exclamation of relief. "Finally! What in the heck have you all been doing for so long? We were supposed to leave for the Great Hall ten minutes ago." Lyla, who apparently had turned into a starving beast since she went to bed last night, grabbed my arm and started to drag me to the stairs.

Since my hand was connected to Sirius' at the moment, he was dragged along as well. He, in turn, grabbed Remus, who grabbed James, who grabbed Blair, and we made a hilarious line of gangly teenagers as Lyla led the way with her pregnant belly hormones. When we reached the Great Hall after almost running over at least ten people in the process, Lyla paused, causing our train to run into each other.

"A little warning next time, big sister." I complained and I rubbed the back of my head, which had just been hit by Sirius' jaw. Peering around Lyla's short frame, I tried to catch a glance of what she was looking at. At the entrance of the Great Hall stood a group of boys, each with the Slytherin insignia on their robes, surrounding a small girl who looked absolutely terrified.

"I'm on it," James said without hesitation, his hatred of the Slytherin house taking precedent over the fact that he shouldn't be getting in trouble now as Head Boy. Sirius and Remus followed him, eternally having his back in all situations. Blair and I stood with Lyla, a safe distance away just in case anything bad were to happen, as we watched it all go quiet. "What's the meaning of this?"

"Well if it isn't our fearless Head Boy. Come to join in our fun?" It was a boy with stark white hair, almost a silvery sheen encompassing his head, with pale skin and what I would describe as a 'hoity toity' nose. James stiffened, and his hand went slowly to his wand resting in his pocket.

"I'll take care of this," James told the young Hufflepuff, who nodded quickly and scurried into the Great Hall. I noticed her be received by a group of three girls who were waiting for her at the entrance. "I want an answer, Malfoy, and I won't be asking again."

My heart caught as I realized this was Lucius Malfoy that was heading the group, one of the meanest Slytherins I had heard of. I knew that Snape carried on with him, and that he took particular pleasure in torturing those he deemed to be beneath him. If there was ever anyone I'd like to see James hex into the next century, it was Lucius Malfoy.

"It's none of your business, Potter." I looked at the person who had spoken, realizing them to be Bellatrix Black, who I had originally figured to be a boy. I refused to let myself giggle as I looked at her bad haircut. My eyes travelled to Sirius, who had stiffened immensely. His hands were tensed, one holding so tightly to his wand that I thought it would snap. Remus, realizing the same thing, put his hand on Sirius' shoulder to restrain him if necessary.

As James opened his mouth to speak, there was a throat clearing from behind all of us. I turned to see Professor Flitwick and Slughorn, who were looking at us expectantly. "If you would all kindly disperse into the Great Hall. Schedules will be handed out soon." Slughorn looked at us all individually, his tone making it clear that if we didn't want to spend our first week back in detention we would do as he said, and then he walked into the hall.

"Just watch your back this year, Potter." With those final words, Malfoy and his posse brushed past us all into the Great Hall. James stood rigid, watching as they disappeared into the crowd at the Slytherin table. Lyla moved from her spot, placing her arm around Remus' waist and walking with him to the Gryffindor table. James took Blair's hand, following along, and I stood back, wrapping my arms around Sirius in a tight hug.

Breathing in deeply, I let the comforting smell of my boyfriend wash over me as he squeezed me back. "Are you okay?" I asked, looking up at his face, which was shrouded slightly by his long hair. I pushed his hair behind his ears, earning a smile as I tickled the skin behind his ear.

"I'll be okay." He gave me one last squeeze before placing his arms around my waist and frog marching me to the table with our friends. As we tucked into the food, we waited for McGonagall to bring us our schedules for our final year of schooling. I held my breath slightly, wondering what the year would bring and if it would bring a schedule that would keep me interested enough to not fall asleep in class any longer.

When McGonagall reached us, she gave us a tight smile before finding the correct documents and handing them to us. "Everyone ready?" Remus asked, and I nodded along with the rest of the group, praying I did well enough on my exams to get back into Transfiguration. "Okay, open them and place them on the table."

We all did so, and I let out a huge sigh of relief when I saw the results. "Thank Merlin," I said, a laugh escaping me as I felt a million stones lighter. Blair laughed at me from next to me, rolling her eyes as I placed my hands on Sirius' face from his spot across from me. "You absolute genius tutor." Kissing him quite soundly, I released him with a flourish, feeling proud as his cheeks turned red.

"Please do not extend those same rewards to the rest of us," Lyla said, but I could tell she was just as relieved as I was that I would be continuing with the rest of the group. I took a moment to look at the schedules, feeling pretty happy with what I saw. On Monday's and Wednesdays, I had Charms with James and Remus, while Lyla and Sirius shared Care of Magical Creatures, and Blair went to Muggle Studies. Then, as luck would have it, we had double Transfiguration and double Defense as a group. On the other three days of the week, I went to double Potions with the group, then we had a free period, the I shared Herbology with James again as Lyla, Blair, and Sirius went to Charms, and Remus sat through Ancient Runes. And finally, it all ended with Astronomy.

"Pretty good haul this year," I heard James say, sounding happy with the results as well.

"Ancient Runes again, Remus?" Lyla said with a laugh and he shrugged his shoulders with a good natured smile.

"One of us needs to keep up with the spell breaking," He teased, placing his hand on her stomach and rubbing lightly before he placed a small kiss on her neck.

Fake retching noises came from all around the table, but they only waved us off. "We are married and we will do as we please." Lyla said in her best authoritative voice. There was a round of 'boos' that did nothing to persuade the married couple to quit their kissing and cooing at each other.

James, saving us from what was sure to be a rousing time and an ensuing food fight, stood up, grabbing a muffin in his hand and his book bag in the other. "Remus, Alexa, let's go give Flitwick a proper welcome from his favorite students."

"Please don't torture the poor man, James," Blair pleaded, but James only gave her a saucy wink in return.

"He can't do too much torture, Blair. I suspect it's the reason they separated James and I for Charms this year." Sirius said, flicking a blueberry from his fruit at Remus as he kissed Lyla once again before preparing to leave as well. "Whatever will we do without each other, Prongs? How will I survive?"

"Just remember, they can't take our love from us. They can separate us, they can place us miles apart, but we'll always have our memories and our love." James and Sirius held their hands out towards each other, their fingers barely touching as Blair stood up between them.

"You two are absolutely ridiculous." She said, rolling her eyes, but reaching up to give James a kiss all the same.

"I guess this is goodbye, my love." Sirius simpered, leaning across the table. I let myself laugh, leaning towards him for a kiss. As our lips separated, I shoved a particularly sticky bit of pudding onto his cheek, grinning evilly as I pulled away. "You wound me so."

"A small price to pay for my love." I retorted, taking my bag from Remus' outstretched hand and waving goodbye to my friends as I walked to the last 'first day' I would have at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.


	11. Rule 6: Pranking

Disclaimer: We own naught what you recognize.

Author's Note: Thanks for waiting as patient as ever! I hope that you all are enjoying our return (we know we are!) and thank you for keeping up with us during the break. As always, enjoy and let us know your hopes, your dreams, etc. :)

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><p><em>Rule 6: Pranking is never a yes or no question; it must always be met with great enthusiasm and vigor as per the Marauder Pledge.<em>

_Lyla's Point of View_

"How do we already have this much work?" Alexa asked with a huff. She laid her head down on her book, and seemed to completely surrender to the minimal reading we had been assigned. "I thought seventh year was supposed to be all about having fun and enjoying our last moments as irresponsible teenagers before entering into reality."

I rolled my eyes at her as I flipped the page of my potions book and jotted down a few more notes. "Let's be honest," I told her, "You'll spend the majority of the time complaining about doing school work, procrastinate to the point of no return, and then just borrow someone else's homework."

She made a face like she was prepared to disagree with me, but then just shrugged her shoulders. "Why should I change my ways now, when they've worked so well for me over the last six years?" she questioned. Honestly, she had a somewhat valid point. While I know that Alexa is much, much smarter than she leads people to believe, and that she could easily do all the schoolwork herself, she just sort of fell into this habit and stuck with it.

"Rest easy, Lyls," Alexa added. "I will eventually hit my academic stride. I may even try completing some assignments and studying for exams days in advance." I gasped dramatically and then laughed at my sister. "For tonight though, I cannot tolerate looking at this book for another minute." Alexa slammed her book closed, the noise reverberating through the library. "What do you say Blair? Care to join me in my procrastination?"

Blair eyed Alexa's closed book and then looked back at her own. "Even though I promised myself that I wasn't going to let myself get behind in my reading this year, my mind is still in summer mode." She pushed her book away and Alexa let out a cheer. "I don't know how you get back into school mode so quickly," Blair told me.

Alexa leaned across the table toward Blair as if to tell her a secret. "Lyla is one of those people who actually likes school," Alexa said in a hushed tone. Blair just shook her head, going along with Alexa. "I know, it's so sad, can you believe I have to live with the embarrassment of that being her sister."

"You two are hilarious," I told them. "You two won't be laughing when you get asked a question in class about the reading and I refuse to whisper the answer to you."

"Point taken," Blair said, heeding my warning. "Continue on your path of enlightenment."

As Blair and Alexa began to discuss the most recent issue of _Witch Weekly_, the Marauders themselves joined us. Peter, who had been a vague presence as of late, was even present, and it was nice to see them all together again. As James, Sirius and Peter took seats around the table, Remus pulled a chair up next to mine and placed a kiss on my cheek.

"I've never been in the library this early in a term before," James said looking around at the other students. "This newfound responsibility is really doing a number on me."

"Before you slide too far down that slippery slope, Prongsie, I have a proposition," Sirius jumped in. "I have the perfect suggestion to pull us out of our midweek blues and save you from becoming too responsible."

I could hear Remus laughing quietly to himself and when I looked over her was already shaking his head. "Let me guess, you've come up with some prank," Alexa said. "You're so predictable." She gave him a little jab with her elbow but he wasn't deterred.

"Actually, Wormy took the lead on this one," Sirius corrected, pointing over to a blushing Peter. Even after all the time we spent with Peter, he still got so shy around us; it was actually kind of endearing. "Earlier today, he came to me with a most hilarious idea for a prank and I think we should do it. What do you guys say?"

Remus looked to me with a questioning gaze. It was almost as if he was asking me for permission. Resting my hands on my stomach, I gave him a smile and shrugged my shoulders. I could see in his eyes that he really wanted to do it, and honestly he didn't need my permission. I know that we were married now, but Remus was his own person and could make these kinds of decisions on his own, although I did appreciate the sentiment. Pretty soon we would both be too busy with the baby to do this kind of stuff so I wanted Remus to get his fill in the time we had left.

"I'm going to need some more details before I commit to anything, but I'm basically in," Remus agreed. Sirius clapped Remus on the back and then everyone turned their attention toward James, who was looking particularly conflicted.

"So, what's it going to be James?" Blair asked him. I swear I could almost see the wheels turning in James's head. This was a totally different James than we were used to. If it had been last year, or even this past summer, James wouldn't have even hesitated to join in the prank, in fact, he probably would have been the one to instigate this whole thing, but it seemed that he was really trying to take his new role as Head Boy seriously.

"Don't get me wrong; I love a good prank, but Lily told me I really needed to set an example for the younger students this year," he reasoned. Alexa looked to Blair and then looked to me with wide eyes. He had said the "L" word, and there was no telling how Blair was going to react. Blair was trying to make peace with James and Lily sharing their duties, and she had even grown to like Lily over the summer, but it was still a sensitive subject.

It seemed that Blair was not going to react well to the mention of Lily in this instance. "Since when do you listen to what Lily Evans has to say?!" Blair blurted out. When she realized we were all giving her somewhat stunned looks, she softened her expression and rephrased her previous comment. "What I mean to say is that you are a Marauder at heart, and you need to be true to that. One little prank is not going to end your Head Boy career. Dumbledore knew what he was getting when he appointed you as Head Boy, I'm sure he understands that you'll still get into some mischief."

I gave Blair a thumbs up and a nod to let her know that she handled that like a champ. She gave me a quick smile and then focused back on James. He thought about it for a minute more and then broke out into a huge grin. "If anything, I could use this as a teachable moment on responsible pranking," he explained.

"I wouldn't go that far," I told him. Sirius looked ecstatic that the Marauders were all back in their element. "So, what is this brilliant prank that you've got planned?"

Before Peter could get a word out, Sirius motioned for him to not say anything. "You'll just have to wait and see like everyone else," he informed me with a smirk. "The less you know the better. Now, Marauder meeting in fifteen minutes up in Remus and Lyla's room."

I made a face at Sirius, and Remus immediately jumped in. "Absolutely not," he told him. "What part of 'You will not make our dormitory your personal common room' did you not understand?"

"Don't be greedy, mate," James chimed in. "What are friends for if not to share their ridiculously comfortable couches?"

James and Sirius just looked at Remus and me with ridiculously cheesy, pleading smiles. Realizing that they weren't going to give up, and realizing that it was going to be damn near impossible to keep our dorm from becoming Marauder headquarters, I figured it was just easier to give in now. "Just go," I told them. "Get out of here." Sirius and James both cheered loudly and quickly abandoned their seats at the table. As they said their goodbyes to Alexa and Blair, Remus turned toward me.

"What happened to the united front we were going to take on keeping our dorm a private area for just us?" Remus asked with a smile.

"Don't worry, I'm thinking ahead," I informed him. He gave me a questioning look and I continued. "With them already there, it'll be that much easier to put them on diaper duty once the baby is here." Remus just laughed and then placed a slow kiss on my lips.

"I married one brilliant woman," he said. "I'll try to get rid of them quickly so it can be just you and me tonight, how's that sound?" I nodded my head and brought his lips back to mine.

Alexa let out a groan, completely ruining our moment. "Could you two be any more nauseatingly adorable?" she questioned, a slight look of disgust on her face "Your happiness is really starting to become too much." I stuck my tongue out at her and she just rolled her eyes.

As the Marauders gathered together, Sirius stopped them and wrapped his arms around his friends' shoulders. "Ladies, take the rest of the evening to mentally prepare yourself for what is going to be quite the prank," he instructed. "Damn, it's good to be back." And with that they took off to work out the finer details of their prank.

"Has anyone seen Sirius?" Alexa asked, scanning the hoards of people in the corridor to see if she could find him. "It is the first week of classes and he is already not showing up. His laziness astounds me."

I scoffed, and she gave me a heated look. Laughing at my dear sister, I gave her a nudge. "Calm down," I counseled. "Sirius told me he would be here. There is no way that he is going to miss seeing his illustrious prank go down."

Alexa nodded in agreement as we entered into the classroom to settle in for another rousing day of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Once in the classroom, I immediately noticed a familiar black-haired boy sitting at the front of the class. However, this sight was not at all familiar. There, sitting in the first row, was Sirius Black, and he appeared to be early to class.

"Okay, who are you and what did you do with my boyfriend?" Alexa questioned as she slid into the seat next to Sirius. We all took various seats around him and waited for his response.

He rolled his eyes at Alexa and then leaned back in his seat. "Enjoy it while it lasts, this is the first and last time I will be early for class. My intense love of pranks just happens to be much stronger than my need to be chronically late."

"So, spill the beans already," Blair said, getting right to the point. "What did you all plan? If I get anything in my hair or on my robes I will kill you all." As Blair gave them a pointed stare, they knew that her threat was legit.

James quickly jumped in to put Blair at ease. "Don't worry, Bear, our primary target is our new Defense professor. Who better to prank than the unsuspecting new guy?" I shook my head in slight disapproval.

"No wonder we have a new Defense professor every year," I mentioned. "You lot torture the poor professors around here. This poor person isn't going to know what hit them."

Sirius put his arm around me and gave me a sickeningly sweet smile. "We just are doing our neighborly duty and informing him of who we are," he corrected me. "After today this professor will never forget our names."

James leaned forward from his seat behind us and had a slightly concerned look on his face. "Wait, I thought we agreed that we wouldn't get caught for this," James tried to clarified. "It's my first week as Head Boy, I can't get in trouble. My mum will not be pleased if she finds out."

Sirius turned to his friend and gave him a pat on the back. "Never worry, Prongs," he told him. "I know you are trying to take your responsibilities seriously, and I of all people can respect that." The four boys had a quick laugh at the pun and then Sirius continued. "I made sure that the Marauders were recognized for their pranking prowess, but made it abundantly clear that you had nothing to do with it, even though we all know you did."

Just as Sirius thought he had tied all those loose ends up, I saw a rejected look on James's face as he leaned back in his seat. I could tell that James was torn, he wanted his part in the prank to be recognized, but he also didn't want to get in any trouble this early on. I gave him a warm smile and then turned back to the front of the classroom as the professor entered the room.

Our new professor set a few books on the desk and then looked out at his class. With his hands on his hips, he gave us a genuine smile. Despite the wrinkles that made appearances here and there on his face, his eyes were wide-eyed and he possessed a young energy. I, for one, was relieved that he was somewhat older. After everything that happened with Professor Wolfe, the last thing I needed right now is Remus getting jealous over another young teacher.

"Good day, class," he addressed us. There were half-hearted grumbles from both the Gryffindor and Slytherin students that occupied the desks. We had had our fair share of Defense professors, and we were beginning to get pretty skeptical of any person that attempted to occupy this position. "I'm Professor Graham, and I will be your professor for the coming year."

Beside me, Sirius shifted anxiously in his seat. Alexa hit his leg under the table and he rolled his eyes at her. Professor Graham seemed nice enough, and I truly felt bad for him, knowing the impending prank was soon to happen. "Well, now that formalities are out of the way, we can get down to business. We'll begin with some basic theory of a few curses." He turned to the blackboard and pressed the chalk to the board.

As he began to write, he prattled on about the specifics of the curses that we'd be starting with. After Professor Graham had gotten quite a bit written on the board and turned back to us to elaborate, the words on the board began to break apart and the letters morphed and rearranged themselves. I looked to Sirius who had the widest, most satisfied grin on his face. A low murmur began to fill the classroom as more and more students realized what was happening. Slowly, the letters ceased moving and the new information on the board was anything but academic.

Laughter and gasps popped up in various parts of the room. The laughter primarily was located amongst the Gryffindors, while the Slytherins sported angry glares. Scrawled in chalk across the board were various insults and jokes, most of which were directed at specific Slytherins that were seated but meters away from us. It didn't take long for the entire class to break into chatter, and Professor Graham looked panicked as the class got away from him. Still oblivious to what was behind him, he tried to settle all of us.

Sirius leaned back in his chair and shook Remus's hand in congratulations. "So, what do you think?" Sirius questioned, looking to Alexa, Blair and myself.

"I have to say, the charm used to rearrange the letters was very well done," I admitted.

"That may be so," Alexa chimed in, "But the insults are rudimentary at best." Sirius gave her a shocked look. "I feel like you didn't even try."

Sirius scoffed and crossed his arms over his shoulders. "Moony, Wormtail, Prongs, are you guys hearing this?" he asked rhetorically. He turned back to Alexa and narrowed his eyes. "Do you think everything Michelangelo created was as brilliant as the Sistine Chapel?" Alexa nodded her head, but Sirius continued, ignoring her response. "It wasn't. He couldn't make a masterpiece every single time. I'll admit this isn't our Sistine Chapel, but even our mediocre work is better than most, and I'm pleased with that."

I couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculous comparison. "Besides, this isn't all," Remus commented. He pointed back up to the board and there we saw that Professor Graham had finally figured out what all the fuss was about. As he read what had replaced his information, his face grew more appalled. He quickly scrambled for the eraser and wildly tried to erase the chalk. However, the words didn't smudge even the slightest. With every pass of the eraser, the words almost seem to become more vivid rather than disappear.

"Who is responsible for this?" Professor Graham questioned. "Who did this?" As he said this, additional words began to appear in the bottom right corner of the board. _Courtesy of the Marauders._ Below this words were three symbols: a crescent moon, a paw print, and a small rat. Noticeably missing was James's stag. "The Marauders? I will ask one last time, who did this?" Remus, Sirius, and Peter stayed firmly in their seats and surprisingly; none of the Slytherins sold them out. "I will get to the bottom of this, but for now, class is dismissed."

We all quickly gathered up our stuff and filed out of the classroom. Before we could get too far, a group of Slytherins, including Snape, Avery, and Mulciber, stopped in front of us. "You think you and your friends are real clever, don't you, Black?" Avery said to Sirius.

"Oh, lighten up, Avery, it was just a joke, I can help it if you and your friends are easy targets," Sirius responded.

Avery shook his head and then let out a slight laugh. "It's pretty sad what the Black name has become," he spat at Sirius. "I'm sure your half-blood girlfriend really makes mum and dad proud."

I'm startled as Remus and James quickly move to grab Sirius before his fist can make contact with Avery's face. I grab Alexa's hand in my own and have to remind myself to breath. Avery laughs again, which only makes Sirius angrier. "Don't worry Black, there will be plenty more occasions in the future where you'll be able to defend your precious half-blood and mudblood friends. I hope you're happy with your choices, though, I don't think your family would even take you back at this point."

Alexa squeezed my hand tighter as the two boys just stared at each other for a minute. Without another word, Avery, Snape, Mulciber and the others turned and left. Sirius shook out of Remus's and James's holds and took off toward the Gryffindor common room. We all followed suit, and could only catch up with him once we were all outside the portrait hole.

Remus led us all into our dormitory and Sirius began to pace back and forth, working off his anger. "What did Avery mean when he said Sirius would have more opportunities to defend us?" I questioned, going over what he had said once more in my mind.

"That son of a bitch is fighting for Voldemort," Sirius seethed. "They all are."

"Now, we don't know that," Alexa said, attempting to keep things reasonable.

"Like hell we don't," he told her. "I mean, Dumbledore is recruiting students, we'd be stupid to think that Voldemort wasn't doing the same. We have to tell Dumbledore."

James put a hand on Sirius's shoulder. "Just wait a second, Pads," he cautioned. "While you may be right, we can't just go rushing into Dumbledore's office accusing students of something like this when we don't have a single shred of proof."

Sirius shook his head in disappointment. "James, we can't let them get away with this," he told his friend. "After what he said about Alexa and Lyla; and what he called Blair. He can't just say that shit and get away with it."

_Mudblood._ The word shot across my mind and made me feel sick to my stomach. I looked over to Blair who was sitting in one of the chairs just staring at her lap. Blair knew that none of us thought of her in that way, but I can imagine that just hearing that word hurt like hell.

"They won't get away with it, Sirius," James promised. "But we have to be smart about this. They will get what's coming to them, we just have to wait for the right time. For now, just steer clear of all of them, especially you three," he said pointing to me, Alexa and Blair.

After a few moments of silence, Alexa spoke softly, "I've made my decision." We all looked to where she was sitting and waited for her to explain. "There's no way I can't join the Order now. If they have a problem with me, I'm going to fight them head on. I'm not going to sit back while others fight this battle for me."

After Alexa made her proclamation, I watched Sirius, who was just staring at Alexa in disbelief. Alexa just shrugged her shoulders unapologetically, which seemed to set Sirius off. He pushed past James, shaking his hand from his shoulder and slammed the door behind him as he left. "Alex," I said with a look, "Do you think that was the best time to tell him that? He was already on edge."

Alexa raised her eyebrow at my chastisement. "He'll get over it, Lyls," she assured me. "He's not going to change my mind just because he's throwing a fit."

James began to move for the door to go after Sirius, but I quickly moved to stop him. "I'll go talk to Sirius," I told him. "You stay with Blair." James looked to where Blair was sitting, clearly upset, and gave me a nod.

I pushed open the door to the boys' dormitory and Sirius was still fuming as he sat on the windowsill. As I neared closer to him he let out a frustrated sigh. "James, mate, I'm just not in the mood to talk," he muttered. When he turned and saw me, his face softened slightly as I took a seat on his bed. "Did they send you so I won't get too irate?"

"James was going to come, but I think Blair needed him to stay with her," I explained. Anger crept back onto his face at the mention of Blair. "Sirius, I know you're upset by all this, they said some very unkind things to you, but this is exactly what they want. They want to get a reaction out of you, and provoke you to do something you could get in trouble for. Don't give them that satisfaction."

"They can say whatever they want about me, Lyls, I can take it and I probably deserve most of it. But when they bring my friends into it, that's when I have a problem," he told me. "I don't buy into all that blood purity shit, and it makes me absolutely sick that I'm related to people who would bring harm to you, Alexa or Blair because of it. And there's no telling what they would do to Remus if they knew what he was."

I shuddered at the thought and tried to shake it from my mind. "We all know that that stuff doesn't matter to you," I assured him. "But you don't have to take it upon yourself to protect all of us just because you feel guilty about your family." I could tell that I had found a truth in all this by the way Sirius's face changed. "You have been abused and rejected by your family because you've chosen a different path than them, that's nothing to feel guilty about."

"Does Alexa understand that there are people who would hurt her or even kill her just because your mother is a muggle?" he questioned. "I'm afraid that someone might target her because of who I am, to teach me a lesson." My heart ached as Sirius voiced his concerns. The world was changing, and the truth was, nobody was safe. I pulled myself off the bed and went to where Sirius was, pulling him into a hug.

When I pulled away, I gave Sirius a small smile. "Just so you know, I think Alexa feels the same way," I speculated. "She would rather them hurt her than hurt you because of her. We're all in danger, Sirius, more than I think any of us realize, but we can't let that consume us. Worrying about what could happen will only drive us mad. Don't push Alexa away because of this, you guys need each other more than ever now."

He gave my hand a squeeze and gave me a grateful smile. After a few moments his face became serious again. "I still don't trust those guys," he said. "They may not be directly fighting for the other side, but they definitely sympathize with them."

"I think you're right, but there's nothing we can do anything about it without proof," I told him. "Knowing Dumbledore, he's probably already aware of it and is keeping an eye on them." Sirius nodded in agreement and then there was a knock on the door. Remus joined us in the room and gave us a smile.

"Everything sorted?" he questioned. Sirius and I gave him a nod. "Great, there's something else you probably want to attend to now." I could tell that something wasn't right by the uncomfortable look on his face. "James left to go meet with Lily, and Blair didn't take it well. Everything I said just made the situation worse."

"Where is Blair now?" I asked.

"After Peter left, she and Alexa moved into our room on our bed," he answered.

Remus looked completely confused by the whole situation and he couldn't have looked more precious. I ruffled Sirius's hair and then went to Remus giving him a quick kiss. "Thanks for trying," I told him. "You boys behave, and go find Peter to make sure he's not too traumatized."

When I reached the top of the stairs leading back to mine and Remus's dormitory, I paused for a moment to catch my breath. While I had stayed relatively active during my pregnancy, it seemed in the last few weeks, my body was starting to weaken and I had more difficulty getting around and staying awake.

From the common area of our dormitory I could see into the bedroom. Alexa and Blair were under the covers and Alexa had her arm around Blair. Blair's eyes were red and puffy and her cheeks were damp enough to catch the light as I entered the room. "Well, this looks like quite the party," I joked as I joined them on the bed, taking a seat at the foot of the bed. Blair gave a weak laugh and stretched her hand out to Lyla. I took her hand in mine and gave it a squeeze. "What happened, Blair?"

Blair explained to me that she was already upset after what Avery had said and that she just lost it when James left to meet with Lily. "I really needed him to stay with me," she told us. "But I shouldn't have to beg, he should want to be there for me when I'm upset, right?" Alexa and I both nodded as she continued. "He said he really couldn't miss this meeting with Lily, there just wasn't anything he could do."

"Well, you know how Lily is with that kind of stuff," Alexa tried to reason. "James could have been in a world of hurt if he didn't go, maybe they had something really important to discuss."

Blair just rolled her eyes and shrugged. "I feel like I'm losing him," she confessed in a whisper. I rubbed her hand that I was still holding, but it didn't seem to comfort her. "Not just because of Lily either, I feel like we're drifting apart just in general. We don't talk like we used to."

"I love you both, you know that, and I want you both to be happy, Blair," I started. "Sometimes, even if you truly love the person, the relationship just doesn't work anymore. You need to do what makes you happy, Blair."

"Lyla's right," Alexa added. "We just want you to be happy. And we'll support you no matter what. You just have to hang in there."

Blair rubbed her eyes and let out a restrained scream. Alexa gave me a look and then looked back to Blair. "I'm just being silly," she said with a forced laugh. "I shouldn't be worrying about problems that I'm not even sure actually exist, especially with everything that's going on." It was obvious that she was just putting on a brave face and didn't believe anything she was saying, but Alexa and I complied with smiles. "Thanks for putting up with me, you two. Now, I should probably go find Remus and Peter and apologize, I kind of snapped at them earlier. Peter seemed to be a little unsettled by it."

She got up from her spot and casually left Alexa and I alone in my room, almost as if nothing had happened. Alexa's eyes widened as she looked to me. "Wow," she stated simply. "Blair is on the verge of losing it. This whole James thing is really getting to her. I just hope they can work something out before she completely loses her mind."

"You know how Blair is, she wears her heart on her sleeve," I said. "She loves deeply, but the hurt is equally deep. I just wish I knew where James's head was at with all this. I'm honestly not even sure he realizes that there is a problem."

"We'll have to prod Remus and Sirius for information," she suggested. Just as I was about to bring Sirius up, Alexa silenced me with a look that clearly conveyed her desire not to talk about Sirius. Instead, she leaned forward and patted my protruding stomach, which seemed to be growing every day. "Little Alexa, listen to your auntie, stay away from boys, they only cause trouble." The only response to this was to roll my eyes at my dear sister.

_James POV_

"Sorry I'm late, Lily," I quickly said as I slid into one of the chairs in the library. "I had to deal with a few things."

Lily never once looked up from the book in front of her. "Maybe if you didn't spend so much time planning inane pranks with your friends, you'd have some more free time for these meetings," she said, a slight chill in her tone. She finally looked up and raised her eyebrows at me before closing her book and pushing it aside. "You guys will eventually get in trouble for that stunt, you really can't afford to get in trouble considering the position you have this year. You're supposed to be a role model for the younger students James; you should start taking that seriously."

I let out a groan. This conversation was getting tiresome. "Can we not do this tonight, Lily?" I requested. "I've had to deal with a lot lately, and don't need you on my back as well."

Instead of the angry expression I expected to see, Lily seemed almost apologetic. "I heard about what Avery said to you guys; what he said about Blair," she admitted. "While I don't necessarily agree with your all's prank, no one deserves that, I'm sure Blair must be feeling awful."

"You know, your pal Snivellus was there when Avery said those terrible things, he seemed to share the same views," I pointed out. "How can you be friends with someone like that?"

Lily shifted uncomfortably in her seat and cleared her throat. "Severus has turned out not to be the person I thought he was," she told me, sadness in her voice. "He's been getting a little too extreme in his views lately, so we haven't been hanging out much. He swears he doesn't think that way about me, but I'm not different than Blair. Both of my parents are muggles, just like hers, so how could he not feel the same way about me as he does her and everyone else like us."

A few moments passed between us. To be honest, I didn't know what to say. It was the same when Blair was talking about this. I didn't know how they felt, I couldn't possibly fully understand the hurt of being called a mudblood, and I didn't want to risk saying the wrong thing. Luckily, Lily continued and broke the silence. "I don't mean to be so hard on you," she said with a smile. "At this point, it's kind of a force of habit. You're not as bad as I had built you up in my mind. But, I'm working on that."

I couldn't help the smug grin that took over my face. "I will remember this day for years to come," I joked with her. "The day that Lily Evans actually admitted that she was wrong about me all along and that I'm actually a decent human being. This day is starting to look up."

She rolled her eyes at me and waved me off. "Please don't ruin this nice moment we're having," she cautioned. "I'm just saying, that after spending time with all of you guys over the summer holiday, I realized just how great of a friend you are. You all really care for each other so deeply; it's actually really sweet. Not everyone is that lucky, I sure haven't found that."

I leaned forward in my chair and rested my arms on the table. "You know, Lily, you're not the person that you want everyone to believe you are," I told her. "If this summer proved anything, you showed us that you could be carefree and a little reckless. I think that's a bigger part of you than you let on to everyone here. It's not too late for you to find those friends that will be there until the end. You just have to let us in a little bit." She gave me a shy smile and nodded her head tentatively. "I would also try to tone down the judgmental side of yourself," I advised with a laugh.

"I'll keep that in mind," she replied.


End file.
